Sleeps with a Vampire
by Just4ALE
Summary: Sequel to An American Vampire in Chicago. Read as B&E's relationship develops. Family and friends make an appearance, causing a few bumps. AU/Vampires/Humans. My vamps are slightly different from SM's.
1. My Sioux Name

**Disclaimer: The characters of Twilight are owned by Stephenie Meyer. The content, ideas and intellectual property of this story and the 'American Vampire Series' in its entirety are owned by Just4ALE.  
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_**Note: This is the sequel to my first story, An American Vampire in Chicago, and is now part of a larger series. If you're new to the series, I'd recommend reading AAViC first.**_

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Chapter 1: My Sioux Name**

**BPOV**

May 2004

Sleeps with Vampires. That could be MY Sioux name if they ever made a sequel to Dances with Wolves, I decided. Sleeps with Vampires.

I used to be a smart girl. I was voted Most Likely to Succeed at Forks High School. I went to Dartmouth. I had no major vices to speak of. I didn't court danger. No driving super fast. Always made sure I took a cab rather than drive if I drank. I took Karate so that I could be able to defend myself from dangerous people.

Seriously, Adam Ant could have been speaking about me with some of his Goody Two Shoes lyrics.

So how was it that at age 25, way past my rebellious teenage years, well-schooled in reason and logic, I decided to toss caution to the wind and live a semi-reckless life?

Too many years of repression? _Nope._

Too many years of making everyone else happy? _Doubt it._

Completely mental and off her rocker? _Ok, maybe a little of that._

Nah, it was simpler than that actually.

Love.

_Sleeps with A Vampire might be a better name, Bella. More accurate. __A__ vampire. Singular. Only one. _

Edward. My beautiful, copper-haired, green-eyed vampire.

Sleeps with A Vampire didn't quite describe it at all, actually. Made it seem like it was only sexual. It wasn't. Edward was my boyfriend… as much as you could call any 104 year old a boy. And he was the love of my life.

I found it ironic that in my quest to learn Karate, I'd attracted the attention of one against whom I was defenseless. No amount of Karate would help me ward off his attack, had I needed it when he first started stalking me.

Another fact they'd no doubt introduce at my insanity trial… 'Your Honor: the evidence is clear. She found out that he had been following her, then she found out that he was a vampire, and she then decided she loved him. To Bellevue!' They called it Stockholm Syndrome when you fell in love with your kidnapper. What did they call it when you fell in love with your vampire stalker?

Edward and I have now been together for four months. After the initial honeymoon period of getting to know each other and a lot of sleepless nights for me – he didn't sleep anyway – we'd been able to settle into a little bit of a pattern that would work for both of our lifestyles.

I continued to go to University of Chicago Business School, finishing up my first year studies for my MBA. I had interviewed for and landed a summer internship in Chicago which was to start in June. I frequented the B'school parties and pub night, continued taking Karate, ate breakfast regularly with my friends and was active in group meetings. Edward generally gave me a lot of space to socialize with my classmates... he attended parties on occasion with me but typically gave me a wide berth. He wanted me to have the full B'school experience unfettered by our relationship.

Edward was working on his PhD in Biology. When I found out that Edward already had a JD, an MBA, a PhD in European Literature, Masters in Engineering, Physics, Architecture and Fine Arts and was a trained medical doctor, I was astounded. Why bother to continue to go to school?

"It looks suspicious when we continue to look exactly the same as we did 10 years before… We can only be in one place for so long. I don't age, Bella. My hair doesn't grow. It starts to look odd."

So Edward moved to various universities around the world to pursue new interests… or he took up a different profession… or he traveled and did volunteer work. The possibilities were infinite when you had endless days and nights to fill.

Of course, he filled up my nights quite nicely. We spent every night together, either at his home or my apartment. I preferred his house as it was larger and, well, a house, but for my safety he preferred my place.

"But you won't harm me," I pointed out time and time again.

"I don't want to harm you… and I'd probably figure out a way to kill myself if I did, but I'm still a being who drinks blood and you have a lot of it, not to mention it's my favorite kind."

That said, I didn't mind him taking a little here and there. The first time he'd bitten me was to save my life. He bit me to mark me and he prevented other nomadic vampires who'd wandered upon us from making me their meal. The bite took me to another place... it was like being high, I guess, a true state of euphoria. I found out later that sex for him would be… enhanced... if he could bite me and get a little taste during the act. Aside from the fact that he could get carried away and possibly kill me, once he was able to work up his tolerance to my escalated energy levels, the actual biting brought a whole additional layer to our lovemaking for me as well. So we reached a nice compromise.

By biting me, he continually marked me as his, which would keep other vampires… should they be in the neighborhood… away from me. They'd think I was someone's pet, of sorts. One bite was typically in an area that was publicly visible, such as neck or arm. Of course I had to cover those areas so that my business school classmates didn't think I was addicted to hickeys or have an intravenous drug use problem or something. My neck was fairly easy to hide since I was so fond of turtlenecks and scarves.

The other bite was typically in a more private place… Apparently the blood from the inner thigh was particularly sweet. Who knew? He was down there a lot anyway, so it worked for both of us.

The first time he bit me during sex was both frightening and amazing. It was at my apartment, naturally, as it was only there that he was truly prevented from hurting me. By inviting him into my home, he was unable to do anything that I didn't want him to do. He waited until the appropriate moment for both of us and then he clamped down on my neck. It was an indescribable feeling... like an orgasm within an orgasm. A tesseract of orgasms… drenched in smooth silky dark chocolate. And then I saw his face for a fraction of a moment.

Beautiful and likewise appearing to be in ecstasy, I caught a quick glimpse of his mouth as he pulled away from my neck. It was slightly red with my blood and I saw his two fangs (a mouth erection, if you will) which slowly shrank back to normal sized teeth. His head came back, eyes looking upward, and then he took a deep breath in, closing his eyes and licking his lips. All of this registered in my head for one small second before the full impact of the drug-like bite hit me, and I maneuvered around to change our positions, starting the beginning of a very long night together.

As much as we both enjoyed this, we recognized the need to space these bites out. A) I needed time to replenish my blood and B) there was always the danger of tempting him too much… he was a vampire, after all. We decided once or twice a month, when my blood was 'ripe' for him was sufficient. I began to think of it as 'that time of the month' - the good version. Since I never knew when my blood would taste best for him, it was always a surprise night for me.

Even without the biting, our physical relationship was amazing. Edward was my first and my only. I had NOT been his first, not by a long shot. Well, that wasn't quite true… I was the first human he'd been with. So while some of it was new to him as well, he was still able to guide me and teach me about him, me and us. He was my sexual Yoda.

Spending as much time together as we did, you'd think I'd get used to his talents. Most vampires were able to manipulate people based on the energy level they gave off and their weak minds. In addition to being able to read minds, except for mine, Edward was able to tap into energy and manipulate it on its own. He actually had the Force. He could levitate objects, sending them flying across the room if needed. This talent sure came in handy when the mood hit: he could lower the shades, light some candles and undress me at the same time.

Yep, four months into it and everything was great. I had a break between the end of finals and the start of my internship so we decided to take a trip to Denali, Alaska where Edward's family was living these days. I was nervous about meeting his family in person, although they'd all been very friendly and welcoming the several times I'd spoken with them over Edward's 'Vampire Batphone', the internet video conference line he had set up at his home. Well, not all of them were friendly...

I'd become quite chummy with Alice, one of Edward's 'sisters' whom you couldn't help love due to her impish grin, her meddling little psychic powers and her constant attempts to boost my sexual confidence by sending me care packages with skimpy lingerie to turn Edward on. Edward tried to tell her that he loved me no matter what, even if I was in shorts and a t-shirt, but I have to say that he didn't exactly ignore the little outfits she sent.

I'd also learned very quickly that Esme, Edward's 'mother' was the sweetest, most 'motherly' woman you'd ever meet… despite the fact that she was approximately my age physically. I got along well with Emmett, another sibling, whom I could tell was going to tease me like hell when he had me there in person. And although Jasper and Carlisle were not as gushing as Alice, Esme and Emmett over the video conference, they openly welcomed me into Edward's life.

So that left Rosalie, whom I'd only seen once the entire time. She didn't look that happy to see me that one time. When I asked Edward about it, he only said that Rosalie was reserved.

_Well, shit, you look up the word 'reserved' in the dictionary and it shows my face... and I'm making a freakin' effort!_ I supposed I'd figure it out up in Denali… at least I had the rest of them on my side, apparently.

Several days before we were scheduled to leave, I awoke up a little too early alone in Edward's bed. Figuring he was downstairs reading, I got up, put on a robe and slippers and went to find him. As expected, I saw a light on in his study. As I made my way there, I realized he was talking on the Batphone.

"So you haven't seen him at all, Alice?"

"No, it looks like he's still in South America. I've been keeping a close watch, Edward. You know that."

"I appreciate it."

I opened the door quietly and stepped in.

Edward's lips smirked as he continued to stare into the computer. "Someone thinks she can sneak up on me."

"Hi Bella!" Alice called from the speaker.

I made my way across the room to Edward's outstretched arms. Pulling me on his lap so that I could see the camera too, I waved at Alice.

"Nice bed head and pillow face, Bella."

I stuck my tongue out at her. "Nice to see you too, Alice," my froggy voice croaked. "It is 5 A.M. here you know. And some of us do actually need sleep."

"Well, you'd better get some now girl, because we plan to keep you up all night, every night so that we can really get to know you…"

I looked at Edward to make sure she was kidding. He was grinning from ear to ear at his favorite sister.

"Alice, the only one who will get to keep her up all night will be me and I'll be getting to know her in a different way," he said, shifting his position to nibble on my ear and neck.

I don't know how it was possible but his statement and actions in front of his sister simultaneously made me turn bright red from embarrassment and shot waves of desire straight down to my toes. My eyes closed, my head tilted back to fall against his shoulder and I bit my lip.

"Hey, hey, you two, get a room!" she shouted.

"We will, very shortly," he said, hugging me close.

Alice giggled. "Okay, well Bella, we're all thrilled that you'll be here. Esme's been practicing all kinds of dishes to cook for you."

I frowned. "Alice, she doesn't have to do that… especially if I'm the only one eating. I can go get some basic groceries and make some little things for myself."

Edward responded, "Are you kidding? Esme loves to mother people. She's been watching all the cooking shows and she learned how to cook your favorite: Shredded Spicy Beef."

I looked at him, stunned. "Seriously?"

Alice nodded on the screen. "Yep, she's been having a blast. So you'd better come with an appetite."

"Ok, well then maybe she can teach me how to make it as well." I said, shrugging.

"Oh, that would be so much fun, Bella!" came Esme's voice from off camera. She popped her head next to Alice's and blew a kiss at me. "I'll see you in a few days!" She left the camera view.

"Okay, Alice, I guess we're…" Edward stopped as he saw Alice's eyes looking unfocused. "Alice…"

About ten seconds later, Alice snapped out of her trance-like vision. "Oh, boy," she said, looking at Edward.

"What did you see?" he asked slowly.

"Um, maybe you want to talk about this later?"

"Tell me now, Alice," he growled. "Is it James?"

Alice exhaled. "No, Edward," she said, shifting her eyes to look at me and then back at him. "It's Tanya. She's decided that she's going to come back to Denali for a visit while you're here. It's not going to be pretty."

I looked at Edward. His face had turned to stone. "Oh, no." he said, flatly.

I could hear Emmett's booming laugh in the background off camera. "HOT DAMN, this ought to be good!" His voice faded off in the distance. "Yo, Jasper! Wanna make a bet?"

"Okay, then, I'm gonna go." Alice said quickly. She looked at me and then back at Edward again. "Make sure she's well-informed, Edward." Then she looked at me once more. "It will all be fine, Bella. You'll kick her ass."

"Bye, Alice." Edward said. He shut off the camera link and sat shaking his head.

I looked at him, confused by this last exchange. "Who's Tanya?"

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**A/N: Ruh roh, Edward has some 'splainin' to do. Like my first story, this will unfold at its own little pace. Please stay with me. And please review.**

_Post A/N: After posting the original version of this story, I found a Beta! The lovely Irritable Grizzzly has reviewed my stories to help correct minor issues. No content changes here or on any future chapters._


	2. Crazy Vampire Sex

**Disclaimer: The characters of Twilight are owned by Stephenie Meyer. The content, ideas and intellectual property of this story and the 'American Vampire Series' in its entirety are owned by Just4ALE.  
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Chapter 2: Crazy Vampire Sex**

**EPOV**

_Who is Tanya?_ This wasn't going to be easy.

Over the past several months, Bella had really opened up as she accepted love - real love - into her life. She'd become more comfortable with me, herself, her body and our physical relationship. She trusted me completely and her trust was justified. I had no interest in anyone else. No one had ever or could ever affect me the way that she had. Bella was my whole world.

But Tanya was going to present a challenge here. A real challenge. To Bella.

"Edward?"

What had Alice said? Make sure that Bella was well-informed? That meant I'd have to give it to her straight. And then I'd have to talk her down from the ledge. I just knew it.

Bella was standing now, her hands on her hips, looking at me. Her eyes narrowed and focused on mine. "Who is Tanya and why will I have to kick her ass?"

Bella and I hadn't really talked about our past romances in great detail. Bella really hadn't had any aside from some jackass named Jacob with whom she worked at BCG. And I… well I hadn't had any either, to tell the truth. Not _romances_. Sex… a LOT of. I'd told Bella that I'd been a Casanova in my early years as a vampire and it was true. Since it wasn't relevant anymore, she never asked any questions.

Exactly how much information did Alice think I should share? Despite my wild past, I didn't kiss and tell. I might have let others watch – _oh yeah, I was into that back then_ – but I certainly didn't go advertising my exploits after the fact. If it got around, somebody else was talking.

Tanya had been a man-eater. An actual man-eater. She used to seduce human men, screw their brains out, and then suck them dry. A succubus... one of the originals. But her sexual appetite wasn't limited to just humans… or just men. She loved sex. These days, she didn't kill the men or women she slept with. She liked their longing and devotion to her; she loved being the best they'd ever had.

As I had once explained to Bella, most of my kind was ruled by their need for blood and passion. Many didn't believe that that one being could fulfill their needs forever. Their physical cravings could be satisfied easily without the need for emotional attachments.

Tanya was exactly this type. She liked to love 'em and leave 'em. Her problem with me was that I was the one always doing the leaving, usually before she was done with me. She didn't like that at all. She wanted to be the best I'd ever had. She wanted me to care more than I did.

_No, I don't think you need to tell Bella all of that right now, Edward._

I got up and moved to the sofa along the wall in the study. Bella shifted her stance so that she was still facing me. Sitting down, I ran my fingers through my hair and then looked back at her. _Okay, here goes._

"Remember that bad boy past I mentioned?" I said, slowly.

"Yeeess…" she said cautiously.

"Tanya was one of my lovers back then."

"Okay, a former lover." She said matter-of-factly. Her face looked puzzled. "So why do I have to…" Suddenly her eyes went wide and she gasped. "Is she still interested in you?"

I had nothing. "Um…"

"What does she look like?" she asked flatly.

"What?" I couldn't see the relevance of the question.

"What does she look like?" she repeated.

"What does that matter?" I asked.

"I want to know what I'm competing with."

I was wrapped around her in a millisecond. "Bella, there is no competition. You are my love. You are the one who has my heart." I kissed her lips gently. They were pressed together.

"Edward, what does she look like?"

I threw my hands up in the air. "I don't know… like a vampire!"

"A beautiful one, right?"

I didn't know what answer would be good. Yeah, Tanya was good-looking but Bella was just so much more beautiful. Denying Tanya's looks wouldn't help… she'd think I was lying, and telling Bella that she was more stunning than Tanya… well I didn't think it would help here. She was too agitated. I had no way to win.

"Yes?" she pressed.

"She's attractive, yes." I shrugged, trying to be nonchalant.

"Shit!" Bella yelled, stomping her foot. I had to suppress a laugh; she actually stomped her foot. "Shit, shit, shit! Aren't there any ugly vampires out there?"

I was amazed at this conversation. I'd never seen her so worked up: she was always so reserved and controlled. Why were we talking about the attractiveness of vampires? What was driving this?

"What? Of course there are ugly vampires!"

She turned back to me, glaring. "Oh really? So what, you just happen to hang out only in the gorgeous supermodel vampire circles?"

"What are you talking about?" I asked, exasperated.

"Edward, look at you. Look at your family. You're all stunning, and now I hear about another beautiful vampire who is coming out to see you next week!"

"You're stunning Bella. I've told you time and time again… you don't see yourself clearly at all." I started to come toward her again.

"Ah, zip it Edward!" _Wow, she's REALLY upset._ And I was getting turned on! I'd never seen her get angry like this. Well, early on when I was first pursuing her, I did see a little flare up. I ended up chasing her out to her car and asking her out on a date as a result. But she was more upset now. Her energy level was escalating.

She looked around the room, her eyes moving. It was her thinking look. Then she turned to face me again, crossing her arms. "Here's a question for you: What kind of crazy vampire sex did you have with Tanya to make her come after you 70 years later? It sure must have been a doozy of a hookup if she's carrying a torch for you after all this time."

I put my hands in my pockets and looked down. _Yeah, this won't help. Well-informed. Right. _I took a deep breath, exhaled and then looked back up at her. "It wasn't only back then… not just one time."

Bella's eyes opened wider. "FUCK!" she yelled, and then she plopped herself on the floor. I was shocked. The F-word was not in Bella's vocabulary and this was not the ledge I thought I'd have to talk her down from.

I had once told Bella that we civilized vampires who lived among humans were like the Vulcans from Star Trek. Vulcans looked like they had no emotions but they actually had superior control over them. My head was spinning with the realization that I might have been dating a Vulcan myself. Bella had a bad temper... and she clearly kept it in check most of the time.

She ran her hands through her hair and then looked up at me. Her chocolate eyes were now almost black with anger and she was radiating more energy. It was increasing by the second and it was drawing me in. _Holy shit, I want her! Now! _I could feel the stirrings in my pants. _Control, Edward: an erection isn't going to go over well just now._

I moved slowly toward her to kneel before her. She shook her head. "I haven't even met her and she's already annoying me. She just made me say the fuck-word out loud. Only Jacob has ever made me that mad."

Jacob. My turn to get uneasy. The guy she had had feelings for before me. The one who had been calling her more and more frequently of late.

I slowly reached for her hands. She looked at me with a stony face but didn't stop me when I made contact.

"Bella, I know this can't be jealousy. You have nothing to worry about. The last time I was with Tanya was 15 years ago. I'm not that man anymore."

She looked up at me, her face gentler… and a little sad. "Edward, I don't doubt you. I know how you feel about me." She took a deep breath and let it out. "But, I can't compete with a gorgeous immortal. I was just starting to feel special… like you weren't completely nuts to want to be with me. I was getting along great with your family. I was even starting to look forward to next week. Now I have to deal with this!"

I took her and sat her back in my lap. Kissing her forehead, I reiterated, "There is no competition Bella. There never was with her or anyone else. And there never will be."

She looked at me, her big brown eyes wide. "Why did Alice say it wouldn't be pretty?" she whispered. "Will she hit on you with me there?"

_Without a doubt. Tanya is fearless. The woman has brass tubes. _I was going to have to get Jazz, Alice and Em to help run interference for me.

I looked into Bella's sweet face and then did something that I hated to do to her.

I lied.

"I'm sure that once she sees us together, she'll be no problem."

I decided that she needed a distraction. I repositioned her so that her legs were straddled over mine, her chest against mine. Slowly I ran my lips down her neck making a path toward her breasts. She closed her eyes and threw back her head, letting me continue. My hands started to wander underneath her robe. She moaned as her energy level escalated again. Her head came back up to face me and she kissed me forcefully and deeply, her tongue playing with mine. I looked into her eyes. "Alice told us to get a room." I said in my best luring voice… not that my luring voice ever worked on her. Bella was immune to vampire/Jedi mind tricks.

In fact, it appeared to have the opposite effect. She snapped out it and pushed away from me to turn and look at the clock on the bookshelves. And then she scrambled off my lap.

_Shit!_ Bella's moans alone were enough to send me over the edge these days. I was ready to take her right there on the floor. "Where are you going?" I asked.

"You're going to have to hold that thought until later. There is an early morning Karate class at 7. I'm going to need to do double sessions before we leave to make sure I'm calm enough for this trip, especially, if I'm going to have to kick some vampire ass." Bella exhaled and shook her head. I could see some of the anger returning. "And I thought Rosalie was all I had to worry about next week…" She ran out of the room, heading for the stairs.

"FUCK!" I heard her say again, as she slammed the bathroom door.

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**A/N: Oooh, Bella has a bit of a temper. Like my first story, this will unfold at its own little pace. Please stay with me. And please leave a review.**


	3. Straight Talk

**Disclaimer: The characters of Twilight are owned by Stephenie Meyer. The content, ideas and intellectual property of this story and the 'American Vampire Series' in its entirety are owned by Just4ALE.  
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Chapter 3: Straight Talk**

**BPOV**

Karate was my valium.

I started taking it because I had always wanted to learn martial arts and because when I moved to Hyde Park I wanted to be able to defend myself, but it also brought peace and balance to my life… I kicked, I punched and I learned long katas – sequences of movements that incorporated all the defensive and offensive moves that we were learning into a choreographed pattern. Whenever I felt stressed out, a little Karate could make all the difference.

So as we made our way to Denali, I hoped that the six extra classes I'd taken that week would work their magic.

Besides the meltdown I'd had upon hearing of Tanya's visit, I didn't say another thing about her to Edward. I knew he was waiting for it, but I just couldn't bring myself to do it. I didn't doubt him and I didn't want him to think that I did. However, I also had this odd sense that he hadn't been telling me the truth about Tanya and whether she'd respect our relationship. Honestly, someone coming up to visit just because he was there? That had to be one pushy broad.

Alice and Jasper picked us up at the Fairbanks airport in a fancy Mercedes.

"Bella, everyone is so excited about you being here!" Alice sang from the driver's seat. "We've got the spare bedroom on the upstairs floor all set up for the two of you… and we built a studio over the garage for you to practice your Karate."

I did a double take. "You built a studio? For me? For only a one week visit?"

"Of course. We thought you might want to practice while you're here."

"Ha! You mean you had a vision I might NEED to practice while I'm here."

Alice shrugged. "Tom-ay-to – Tom-ah-to."

"Is the rest of the family at home?" I asked.

"Yep! And Kate and Garrett coming later this week. They're anxious to meet you."

"Who are Kate and Garrett?" I asked Edward.

He kissed my forehead. "Kate is Tanya's 'sister.' She and Garrett are married. They live close to our family in Denali."

_Yay! Tanya AND her relatives. Joy._

Jasper turned around to look at me. "Bella, why are you upset?"

"I'm not upset," I answered quickly.

Alice tsked her tongue against her teeth. "Bella, you may be able to hide your thoughts from Edward but you can't hide your feelings from Jazz."

I exhaled. "Ah, come on guys. This isn't fair." I shook my head. I could feel Edward's concerned gaze on my face. "Okay then, if you two are going to double team on figuring out what is going on with me, could I ask a favor in return?"

Alice and Jasper looked at each other and then at Edward. Alice watched me in the rearview mirror.

"Can you all just give it to me straight this week? No pretending things are gonna be great when Tanya gets here? Alice, you already said it wasn't going to be pretty. I know she's coming here for Edward."

Edward pulled me closer to him. "She doesn't have a chance. You are my love."

I turned to him and kissed him softly. "And you're mine. That doesn't mean it will be any easier. Honestly, if it gets out of hand, I won't even be able kick her ass for real! She's a vampire for Pete's sake! She'd be too fast and strong."

"Bella, we won't let it get out of hand," Alice assured me. "She won't be here until Wednesday. That's four days away. Please don't let her coming ruin your visit. We want you to have fun."

I figured I'd push on the straight talk kick since they were all trying to be so reassuring right now. "What about Rosalie?"

"What about her?" Jasper asked.

"Well, she doesn't seem to be my biggest fan. She never talks to me."

Edward reached for my hand and kissed it. "Bella, love, I don't think Rosalie doesn't like you… I told you she's just reserved."

Alice jumped in. "Edward, she said to give it to her straight. Bella, Edward is correct. Rosalie IS more reserved than the rest of us, but that's not all. She's… kind of jealous of you."

_Okay, that's new info._ "Of me? Why?"

"Well, you're human, for one… and more than any of us she would rather be human than vampire. She would have wanted a different life," Alice said.

"That isn't to say she's not happy with Emmett," Jasper added. "It's just that, well, she would have made a different choice."

"What is the other?" I asked.

Alice's eyes were puzzled as she looked at me in the rearview mirror. "What do you mean?"

"You said that I'm human, for one. So that implies another reason."

Alice and Jasper looked at one another and then at me. Jasper spoke. "Okay, please keep this amongst ourselves... but I think she's jealous that Edward picked you."

Edward cocked his head. "Where are you getting that from?

"Just a general sense of her emotions whenever we speak to Bella or talk about you two. She definitely feels jealousy, yet it isn't surrounded by the wistfulness I sense from her when we're out amongst humans. Instead it seems to be annoyance. I think she figured you'd never settle down… and now here you are, bonded to a human."

I groaned. "Aw man, don't tell me that she has a torch for Edward too! I thought she loved Emmett," I said exasperatedly.

Edward seemed to be considering this idea. Then he spoke quietly. "She does love Emmett. It is just that Rosalie was always desired by all men when she was human. She's more than a little vain and she's resented me since she became a vampire because I never wanted her. This, even though she never remotely wanted me, and now, I actually want someone, and you're…"

"An ordinary human," I said, completing the thought.

Edward growled. He hated when I called myself ordinary. "Bella…"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, I'm not ordinary. Tell that to me when I'm not sitting in a car with a Jedi Knight, the Oracle of Denali and Captain Emotion," I muttered. They all gawked at me and then laughed out loud.

"Well, I can't do anything about Rosalie. Maybe eventually she'll warm up to me," I sighed. "How about Kate and Garrett? Do I have to worry about them too?"

"Actually, they'll be on your side, to the extent that one could say there are sides," Alice said. "They hate Tanya's lifestyle and they want to be here to make sure they can help as much as possible."

_My God, how many of them did there need be to help pry her off of Edward? _

"Ah, I guess I can't do anything about Tanya right now either. She's not here yet, so I might as well get my fun in before then."

"That's my girl!" Alice cheered.

Edward pulled me closer to him and whispered seductively in my ear. "I'll be happy to help you get your fun in," he said. My face started flushing instantly as I realized that Alice and Jasper had probably heard what he just said.

~#~

It was almost 8 pm by the time we arrived. The rest of them were on the front porch as we pulled up. Carlisle and Esme greeted me warmly with a hug from both of them. Emmett practically knocked them out of the way to give me a big bear hug. Then, to my amazement, Rosalie came up to shake my hand.

I'd only seen her once before and the camera didn't do her justice. She was gorgeous and could have been a Sports Illustrated Bikini model with her height, her fabulous body, her blue eyes and her long blond hair. My mouth actually dropped open and I decided that maybe I should try extending the olive branch.

"Hi, Rosalie," I said quietly. "It is so nice to finally meet you. I have to tell you… you're more beautiful in person than on that camera."

She smiled, hesitantly. I could tell from her body language and expression as she evaluated me that we probably had a lot in common. She _was_ reserved. It looked to me like she shared one of my basic beliefs: trust was earned. "Likewise, Bella," she said softly. Edward's hands, which he had placed on my shoulders as he stood behind me, relaxed instantly. He wrapped his arms around my waist and kissed my neck. "Let's go inside," he said.

Esme instantly asked about dinner for me. My stomach was finally settling down after all the traveling, but as I wasn't quite there yet. I sheepishly asked for a bowl of cereal. Thankfully, Edward had explained my odd eating habits before we had arrived so Esme wasn't offended that I didn't want her fabulous cooking right away.

Carlisle and Esme took me on a tour of their huge home as I ate my cereal. The house was intricately furnished with an eclectic combination of antiques, artwork and artifacts. Like Edward, Esme had impeccable taste. The place was a mansion! There was a living room, music room, a library, Carlisle's study, a workroom for Esme and her various design projects, a game room and several bedrooms and bathrooms. They also had a beautiful kitchen and a big dining room with a large antique dining table and seats. Whatever for, I had no idea.

The house was so big that the tour took a long time. By the time we were done, I was exhausted. I'd gotten up at 0-dark-hundred in Chicago to take the almost 15+ hour trip. Edward noticed my slumping posture and decided it was time for me to get to bed . I said good night to all of the family and we walked up to the third floor to our guest 'suite'.

Once we were up there, I decided to have a hot shower to help wash away this long day. This guest bathroom was just as amazing as the rest of the place. The shower was like a steam room: all glass, with the shower door closing tightly so that the steam was trapped in. It had two showerheads controlled by different hot/cold valves and a big marble shelf/ledge that I could sit on running the length of the large shower. It actually looked wide enough for a person to lie down on… to steam themselves, I guessed, like in the spas and health clubs.

I was in there for about two minutes when I saw the door open. Edward came in, wearing only a towel. I gawked. And then I came to my senses.

I stuck my head out of the shower door and hissed at him. "Hey, what are you doing in here?"

He chuckled. "I thought you might need some help with your shower."

"Exactly what kind of help did you imagine I'd need, Mr. Cullen?"

He dropped the towel and started walking toward me.

I looked at his perfect body. _Okay, that kind of help. Oh boy._

He stepped in. This was unusual. Of course, the showers at our homes were significantly smaller than this.

"What? Are you insane?" I whispered. "Your family is out there. They've got super vampire hearing."

"Why do you care if they hear us?" he asked, laughing.

"Hey, I've only been at this sex thing for four months. I'm not exactly accustomed to doing it within earshot of family members, let alone ones with eagle ears."

He pulled me close to him and caressed my face. His eyes were smoldering. He leaned down and started kissing my neck behind my ears and his hands started wandering. He was wearing me down quickly. "Bella," he whispered, "that is one thing you'll just have to get used to. There are no secrets in this home and I've had to listen to all of them on and off for 80 years. Now it's my turn," he said as his hands moved down my back toward my thighs and he lifted me to straddle him.

I decided not to fight this battle. My lips found his and I was lost.

Oh, and that nice marble shelf in the shower? It was big enough for two.

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**A/N. Hmm… steamy. Thanks for reading. Please review.**


	4. Fun Time

**Disclaimer: The characters of Twilight are owned by Stephenie Meyer. The content, ideas and intellectual property of this story and the 'American Vampire Series' in its entirety are owned by Just4ALE.  
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Chapter 4: Fun Time**

**BPOV**

I woke in the middle of the night to some horribly loud noises. It sounded like someone was taking a sledgehammer to the walls somewhere in the house and smashing through them. I bolted upright in bed. "Holy shit, what is that?!"

Edward was laying on his back beside me, his hands behind his head, looking up at the ceiling. "That," he said flatly, "would be Em and Rose."

"Doing what? Renovating the house? What the hell…"

The lovely wall pounding was then joined by Emmett's recognizably loud voice. "YEAH, BABY! THAT'S IT, ROSE… OH, YOU KNOW WHAT I LIKE…"

I could feel my eyes bug out of my head. "Oh my God… are they…?"

Rosalie's voice joined in. "That's right Monkey Man… I know exactly what you want. I've got you, big man!"

I looked down at Edward and whispered. "I thought that couplings between bonded vampires weren't all rough and tumble…"

He smirked at me. "No need to whisper: with the noise they're making, they can't hear you. Em and Rose have a very physical relationship. They like demolition sex."

The banging and yelling continued. I threw myself down on the pillow and covered my head. "Don't they know that everyone can hear them?"

"Yep. I told you no secrets in this family."

"Holy cow… and with vampire ears you all can hear even when they're not yelling."

He shifted his position to snuggle me. "Now you know why I said that it was my turn." He began caressing my skin and nuzzling his nose behind my ear. He was trying to distract me… and it was working…

"OOOHHH, yeah…" came a voice from a different room.

I sat up again. "Oh no, now what?"

Edward laughed. "Jazz and Alice."

My mind was reeling. _What a fun house this is. Yeesh. It's like being in one of those HBO Real Sex vignettes._ "Are you shitting me? I swear to God, Edward, if I hear Esme and Carlisle next, my head will explode." I looked at him again. "Honestly, how have you been able to stand this, being the only single one in the family? Did you bring your women home?"

"No, I never brought them home. My reckless past occurred when I was not living with the rest of the family," he said softly, reaching for my hand. "Now you know why I'm away doing so much studying. Usually, my room in the house is built with better soundproofing so that I can listen to music at night, but I haven't lived at this location with them since I've been away in Chicago. The soundproofing would have been nice to keep out the noise for you, but remember, love, I can hear it even if they're not saying anything."

Suddenly I felt really bad for him. Superpowers weren't all they were cracked up to be. I leaned down to kiss his lips softly. Edward's hands were back on me, pulling the rest of my body toward him. He looked into my eyes, pushing my hair away and his lips started moving on my neck and down my body. I was starting to feel distracted again…

"Carliiiissle…"

"Aaaggh!" I yelled, sitting up. Edward burst out laughing. I jumped up out of bed and ran to get my iPod. "I'm sorry Edward, but I do not know how to tune all that out just yet. I'm gonna just step outside and sit for a while." I opened the door to his balcony, plunked myself down in the hammock there and put on my Loud and Kicking playlist. A few minutes later, Edward came out to lie down with me, spooning me. And we stayed like that for several hours as I silently mouthed the words to the loudest songs I could find.

~#~

The next morning, I went to the kitchen bleary-eyed. Esme had fixed a pot of coffee for me and I thought I'd need all of it. I was in the process of adding the milk when Emmett suddenly ghosted to my side.

"Gah!" I yelled, almost dropping the carton. He laughed.

"Morning little girl!" his voice boomed. "Heard you and Edward getting your freak on in the shower last night." His eyebrows wiggled at me. Despite my exhaustion, I started to blush. "Aw, look at those little pink cheeks," he teased.

"You're one to talk Emmett. I was expecting the house to fall down. You guys kept me up all night."

"Hmm, that was supposed to be Edward's job. You look awfully tired, Bella. I heard sex really helped humans sleep. Edward must not be doing it right."

"I'm sure Edward knows what he is doing," Alice said, dancing into the room. "Right, Bella?"

I couldn't believe we were discussing my sex life and Edward's abilities. I turned even redder.

"Um, does anyone know where Edward is right now?" I asked, hoping to be rescued.

Jasper came in and gave Alice a big kiss. "He and Carlisle went out hunting. Change of pace from the blood bank stuff. A little father and son time."

"Why, Bella, are you looking to get your groove on again?" Emmett asked, the wiggly eyebrows again making a appearance. _Yep, I probably look permanently sunburned by now. _"Aw, look at your little face. I'm gonna LOVE the next week with you here."

Esme walked in at that moment. "Everyone, can't you see that you're embarrassing Bella? Clearly, she'd like to keep this between her and Edward." She smiled at me and I smiled back despite the fact that I was having a hard time wiping out the sound of her moaning from my head. "Bella, I was hoping you'd let me cook for you today. I was having so much fun trying dishes… but I have no idea if they taste good."

I breathed a sigh of relief. Sex talk, I couldn't handle just yet. Food talk: no problem. "Absolutely, Esme. Maybe you can teach me."

~#~

The next several days were a lot of fun. It was nice to spend time with the Cullens either one on one or as a group. I watched Jasper and Emmett wrestle outside; Edward was never allowed to play because he could hear their next move and cheat. They all loved playing darts or pool in the game room together. Alice showed me her latest fashion designs she'd come up with on her computer. Rosalie still wasn't openly warm to me, but she did show me the plans she had for modifying her red BMW M3 convertible… something about a lightweight flywheel, a big break kit and a supercharger. I tried to act like I knew what she was saying but it was all Greek to me.

Esme cooked amazing dishes. She taught me several simple tricks that she'd learned on the Food Channel in preparation for my visit. I spent some time with Carlisle, who showed me a huge historical album he'd maintained on his life. The history he'd witnessed and his path toward becoming the gifted and caring doctor and patriarch of this family won my admiration: it was easy to see why Edward held him in such high regard.

I started sleeping with my iPod on every night to drown out the night time family fun… and Edward woke me up every morning with his wandering hands and lips once the rest of the family was finally quiet. He was a fabulous alarm clock.

Of course, Emmett couldn't wait to be in my face about our morning activities each day. He took great joy in trying to make me turn as red as possible and, unfortunately, I accommodated him quite easily. When he wasn't trying to embarrass me, he liked to ghost up on me to see if I'd drop whatever I was holding. Emmett could be a funhouse all on his own.

I did Karate every day in the beautiful studio they'd made for me. It was all cherry wood, well lit with big windows, a huge punching bag bigger than I was in the corner and one wall that was floor to ceiling mirrors. There was even an iPod player in the room that I sometimes used when I decided to just punch the bag.

Finally it was Wednesday. The day Tanya was supposed to visit. Alice decided that she wanted to do a make-over on me that day.

"Please don't put a lot of make-up on me, Alice. I hate it."

"I'm just enhancing your natural beauty," she said cheerily. "You'll look great."

"Aw, why are you doing this?"

"First impressions, Bella. We should just make sure she sees what she's up against."

"I know she's going to be beautiful. Why bother? She's just going to look at me like I'm some puny human anyway."

"Don't say that!" she said softly. "You know that none of us see you that way. You're stunning. Don't you notice how Edward can't take his eyes off of you whenever you're in the room?"

I blushed. "No, that's not true."

"Oh yes it is. You're so blind. We've obviously known him longer so you don't see what we see. He's a different man and it's all because of you. He loves you more than you might even realize."

Edward told me how he felt quite often, but it was nice to hear it from an outsider's view.

I sat quietly as she started to apply some light powder to my eyes. I guess I must have had an odd expression on my face because she paused to look into my eyes. "What is it Bella?"

"Give it to me straight, Alice." I said quietly. "How bad is it going to be?"

"Bella, it will all be fine, but, I'm not going tell you any details because it will influence your reactions which are key right now. Just go with your gut." She put her arm around me and hugged me. "Edward loves you and only you. His world revolves around you."

She moved on to apply some light color to my lips. "If she gets to you, just go to your studio. It will help you." She smiled knowingly. "Trust me."

~#~

Garrett and Kate arrived about an hour before Tanya was expected. Kate was tall with long straight pale blond hair. Garrett was also tall, with sandy blond hair pulled back into a pony tail. They were both just as attractive as the rest of the Cullens. _Yep, gorgeous vampire supermodel circles._

Kate and Garrett were as open and friendly to me as Edward's family. At first they seemed curious about the human who had entered Edward's life, but within a short time they were sharing funny stories about Kate's zapping power – anyone who touched her when she didn't want to be touched effectively got tasered – and how Garrett tried to stay on her good side as much as possible.

We were all having a nice visit when we heard the wheels of a car pulling up the stony driveway. The engine stopped.

"She's heeerre," Emmett said, chuckling. Edward shot him a dirty look and then grabbed my hand.

My stomach started to knot up. _God help me, what is going to walk through that door?_

And then I started to feel calm. My eyes shifted to Jasper who was leaning against the opposite wall, looking around nonchalantly. He was doing this, trying to put me at ease. While I wasn't crazy about being manipulated, I thought that maybe it was a good idea. Jasper could be my valium for the moment.

I heard heels on the front porch and then a knock. Carlisle went to open the door. "Tanya, it is so good to see you."

"And you as well, Carlisle," came a throaty melodic reply. _Great, even her voice is pretty._

She stepped into the living room and looked around at everyone.

What did Carrie Fisher say to Meg Ryan in "When Harry Met Sally" when she described Billy Crystal's new girlfriend? _'Thin. Pretty. Big tits... Your basic nightmare.'_

Yep.

That was Tanya.

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**A/N: She's heeerrre. Thanks for reading. Please review.**


	5. She’s Heeerre…

**Disclaimer: The characters of Twilight are owned by Stephenie Meyer. The content, ideas and intellectual property of this story and the 'American Vampire Series' in its entirety are owned by Just4ALE.  
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Chapter 5: She's Heeerre…**

**EPOV**

Tanya walked in the door and took a look around the room as she searched for me. "Hello everyone," Tanya purred in her faint Russian accent, "it has been too long." She walked over very slowly, her eyes on my face. "Edward." _Ah, damn you Tanya. _She was going to start right away. No recognition of anyone else in the room.

From my peripheral vision, I could see Bella watching her carefully, taking in the pale yellow leather mini skirt and matching jacket that Tanya barely had on. Her strawberry blond hair was loose around her shoulders.

"You're looking well, Tanya."

"Don't I get a hug?" she pouted.

"Of course. But first let me first introduce you to my Bella." I stood up gently helping Bella to her feet along with me. "Bella, love, this is Tanya."

I could hear Tanya's reaction immediately. _Love? Sure._ Tanya extended her hand. "So nice to meet you Bella. I heard that Edward had someone new."

Bella's reaction was no different than when she'd met any new B'school colleagues: she was like ice. Bella nodded and took Tanya's hand. "Hello."

Tanya looked Bella over and then she dismissed her immediately. _Really Edward. You've got to be kidding. "_Edward, my hug?" I stepped in for a brief embrace and Tanya moved in close, her body pressed against mine. I made a move to pull away but she had no plans to let go.

_I got your back, bro._ Emmett stepped up to stand next to us. "Tanya… what are we chopped liver? Don't we get hugs?"

"Of course," she said letting go of me and smiling. "Nice to see you Emmett." Emmett hugged her and was followed instantly by Kate and Garrett. As they stepped away, Alice flashed to Tanya's side. "Tanya! It has been so long! Have you been having fun in San Francisco?"

Tanya flashed another smile. "Always. You know me."

Esme spoke from the corner of the room. "Kate and Garrett were telling us that it has been a while since you've been back to Denali. You probably haven't seen the modifications I helped make on your family home. Your old suite is completely renovated. I can't wait for you to see it tonight when you all head back home."

Tanya's eyes looked at mine. _Head back home? Really Edward? I thought we could catch up._

I came up behind Bella, put my arms around her waist and kissed her head. I looked back at Tanya, shaking my head. The movement was so small, a human wouldn't catch it. But Tanya definitely did.

"Tanya, please sit." I gestured at several of the chairs around the room as I sat at the end of the sofa and pulled Bella to sit with me.

She sat in a chair directly across from Bella and me. The rest of the family either stood around or took other seats. Alice went back to her computer in an alcove in the corner of the living room. Carlisle spoke. "Tanya, what have you been up to?

"Irina and I are just enjoying life, you know, our usual fun. I went to Rio for Mardi Gras several months ago and ran into James. He's the one who told me about your new girl," she said, insincerely sweet, looking at Bella.

The time seemed to be moving at a snail's pace and the conversation was awkward. Bella sat stiffly under my left arm watching Tanya, and Tanya was doing her best to intimidate Bella. At one point, she took off her tight leather jacket to reveal an equally tight matching leather bustier. Her cleavage was now out for all to see.

Rosalie mentally scoffed._ What a wench! At least your taste has improved, Edward, _she thought, giving Bella a backhanded compliment.

From my peripheral vision, I saw Alice's little head pop up from her computer screen to look at me. _Oh, no, Edward, incoming! _And then she showed me what was about to happen.

Tanya shifted her leg position to recross her legs.

And in doing so she flashed me. And Bella. _Yeah, Tanya never did like underwear._

My eyes narrowed as I shook my head just a fraction. Tanya just gave a wide smile.

Meanwhile, Bella inhaled sharply and held it.

Despite the fact that he was actually standing behind Tanya when she did this, Jasper reacted immediately based on the overzealous lust emoting from Tanya and from Bella's distress. _No, Tanya did not just do what I think she did… did she Edward?_ _Bella…_

Because Bella was sitting next to me and I didn't want to make any moves to upset her, I took in her reaction from Jasper's angle.

Bella blinked slowly. And then she exhaled, her head still facing Tanya's direction but her eyes looking about 45 degrees away from Tanya's legs. The corners of her mouth went up into a small smile as she closed her eyes. "That's nice," she said softly as she rolled her head around on her neck, stretching. 'That's nice' said in that sweet/sarcastic tone was a Bella catch-phrase that she used whenever she heard or saw something she didn't like.

Jasper was confused. _Huh, well, maybe not…_

And then Bella stood up.

"Okay, I'm sure that you all have a lot to catch up on, so I'm going to the studio."

I stood up with her. "Bella, are you sure?"

"Absolutely," she said calmly, looking around at everyone. "I need the exercise. And you all can all talk without having to get stuck with explaining backstories to me. I'll be back in about two hours." She stared at Tanya and spoke slowly. "Tanya, you'll still be here, right?"

"Of course," Tanya said, happily waving Bella away.

Bella nodded and then turned to me, kissing me softly on the lips. There was a slight smirk on her face and amusement in her eyes as she stared in my eyes and just blinked purposefully. I could feel my brows furrowing in confusion. After the meltdown the other day, I was expecting something else, but it looked like Vulcan Bella was here in full force.

Garrett and Kate moved over to sit where Bella had been before Tanya could get there. They began to ask her about Irina, San Francisco and the Rio trip. The whole group was trying to help out and I couldn't have been more grateful.

Jasper looked at me, clearly dumbfounded at Bella's calm reaction, while Emmett was having a good laugh in his head. _Told you Tanya was nothing but trouble. You and your fuckin' teenage libido. _

About 20 minutes later, Alice called out from her computer. "Tanya, I want to show you the clothing I'm designing. I think you and Irina would look fabulous in some of these pieces."

Tanya stood, walking over to Alice. "Really? I'd love to have an Alice original…"

I decided to take that opportunity to make my exit. "I'm going to check on Bella. I'll be back shortly," I said.

Tanya turned to look at me. Alice waved back. "Tanya and I will be here working on her clothes. Take your time."

Tanya's eyes narrowed and then she smiled. _Ah, you're tag teaming against me? I don't think so Edward: you can run, but you can't hide._ "Hurry back," she said.

Jasper started walking toward me. "I'll come with you," he said.

~#~

We ran to the studio. Jasper was mentally replaying what had just happened and trying to figure out Bella's reaction.

As we got closer, we heard music coming from the room.

Jasper was puzzled. "Do humans do Karate to music?"

I was equally as confused. "No they don't." I could hear Tears for Fears playing. She loved this group: it was her comfort music… often background noise for her when she had studying to do, but why was it playing now and why wasn't she practicing?

"We should go in to make sure that she's okay," I said.

Jasper held me back. "I don't think so, Edward. I get the sense that she wants to be alone." He hesitated. "But Alice installed a one-way mirror in the studio. She thought we might want to keep an eye on her." We snuck up the back way into this 'surveillance room' to see what was happening in the studio.

Bella had changed clothes, wearing black yoga pants and an old frayed Genesis concert t-shirt. She was just pacing back and forth, stretching her arms and bending over to stretch her legs, listening to a song. She kept her head down, looking at the floor, rotating her head on her neck. She continued pacing from one side of the room to the other.

"Jazz, are you sure we shouldn't go in?" I whispered. "Tanya's got to be getting to her. You should have seen the reaction she had last week to the news."

"Yeah, I heard from Alice. No, Edward, leave her alone for now. If she needs us, we'll know immediately."

Emmett's voice came from behind us. "Hey Jazz, I'm up one - nothing so far…" He was gloating. Those two and their stupid bets. Emmett had bet Jasper on how many times Tanya would make Bella upset. They'd also made a bet on how long it would take Tanya to make her move on me. I was hoping we'd be able to avoid that one.

"Shhh!" Jasper and I said to him.

We all watched her, puzzled at whatever could be going on in her head. Finally, she moved back to the iPod to start the song again. The song started with drum beats followed by a repetitive set of notes: I vaguely recalled that the song was Elemental. The opening lyrics began, during which she kneeled and sat back on her ankles facing the mirror just staring straight ahead at herself and at us, her palms on her thighs.

As the first stanza began she got to her knees and then stood. She pointed one leg out in front of her and slowly brought it around her side and then behind her, shifting her weight while balanced on the other leg. And then she reversed legs doing the same move.

Bella bowed, still looking at herself in the mirror. Her lips turned upward at the corners and her eyes flashed as her face took on a fiercely determined look.

The stanza finished and then the music took off. And Bella began to move on the floor to the music.

"Is she dancing?" asked Emmett.

I took in her movements that were coordinated with the music. Bella had told me that she choreographed in her head on the day that she first discovered the truth about me, but I'd never seen her dance.

And then, suddenly, I recognized it… she wasn't dancing, although it looked like she was. It was the long kata she had been practicing in Karate class for weeks. It had over 140 movements. And she was doing it to this song.

"No, that's Karate," I said.

"Humans do Karate to music?" he whispered. "Is that normal?"

A slow smile started to break out on my face. "No. That's all Bella."

We continued to watch in silence… and in awe. She was breathtaking in her concentration and her movements went along exactly with the song she'd picked. She had memorized the entire form. In class, the kata was broken down into each step, which they counted out in Japanese, one slow movement at a time. Here she was doing each step fluidly, kicking, turning, punching, blocking imaginary attacks, pausing between steps only if the music warranted it.

"Oooh, Edward, she's really bendy and flexible. Lucky you!" Emmett whispered, prompting Jasper to slap him upside his head. "Ow!"

_I've never seen anything like this_, Jasper thought. Admiration colored his mental tone.

"Actually, Edward, she's pretty good," Emmett said. "What color belt is she?"

"Green," I replied. Bella had progressed quite quickly in the class, skipping several colors. She was a natural.

Rosalie entered the room. _What are these three morons staring at? Oh figures, Bella, Bella, Bella._ She came up to stand by Emmett who was gawking with this mouth open. _What is that?_ For the briefest of moments, I heard a little amazement float through her head as well.

_Edward, this might be the coolest human I've ever seen… You got yourself a winner there,_ Emmett thought.

I couldn't take my eyes off of her. Ever since I'd met Bella, I had often wondered what she was thinking. Her actions and emotions didn't clue you in too much, but you knew that her brain was always working, and every day I spent with her I realized that there was so much more that was going on than she ever let on.

"I know," I whispered.

_Edward, she doesn't need our help._ Jasper thought. _I haven't had to do anything for her since Tanya stepped in the house. She started getting agitated and then she fought it back herself. Now she's got it under control in there. Whatever THIS is, it's working._

Then he said his next thought out loud. Jasper smiled widely. "She's a fighter, Edward. Tanya's underestimating her."

Emmett groaned. "Aw crap, do you mean I'm going to lose the bet?"

The song finished. Bella was on her knees at the end.

"Should we clap?" Emmett whispered.

"No." Jasper and I said at the same time.

_Hmmm,_ Rosalie thought, _She's… different._ And then she left the room. Coming from Rosalie, I took it as another compliment.

Bella stood, breathing rapidly. Her eyes were gleaming and her energy was elevated to a 4. And then she tugged on her pony tail to pull it tighter and looked down at her feet.

Jasper was right. I grinned at him and looked back at her through the mirror.

Tanya was drastically underestimating Bella.

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**A/N: Time to kick some vampire ass, I think. Thanks for reading. Please leave a review. **


	6. Bad Ass Bella

**Disclaimer: The characters of Twilight are owned by Stephenie Meyer. The content, ideas and intellectual property of this story and the 'American Vampire Series' in its entirety are owned by Just4ALE.  
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Chapter 6: Bad-Ass Bella**

**EPOV**

Tanya stayed the whole day. It was uncomfortable. She was a woman on a mission. Whenever she could, she'd walk by me and try to touch my arm, my hair, my neck, my butt. Luckily, I heard it coming before she actually made contact and was able to maneuver out of the way. Despite my speaking to her in our low vampire tones to cut the crap, she continued. I hoped that she gave up the fight when she left that evening. I actually thought that the worst was behind us…

… until she decided to make an appearance in our bedroom very early the next morning, that is.

Bella was sleeping in my arms and I was preparing to wake her soon for our typical morning activities. Suddenly, there was Tanya, opening the door from the balcony and standing in it. She'd changed into tight black pants and a matching low cut tank top.

I gently moved away from Bella and went over to her. "Tanya," I hissed in our low tones. "Are you insane? What part of 'no' don't you understand?"

"Edward, you can't be serious. This girl is plain, simple and fragile. You can't be with her the way you were with me."

I shook my head. "It's not only about sex, Tanya."

She reached out and started running her finger down my chest toward my pants. "It's always about sex with you, Edward. Don't you remember our times together?" She started flashing through her memories of our couplings in her mind.

I grabbed her hand before she reached my waistband. "Of course I remember, but I'm not that man anymore Tanya… and you wouldn't want me now. I have nothing to give you. My heart is gone. I've given it, and the rest of me, to Bella. She's all that I want."

She scoffed. "THAT?" she said, pointing to Bella. "You must be joking!"

Suddenly, Bella groaned and sat up. "Do you mind? Some of us actually need sleep, you know," she said, crankily.

Tanya looked at Bella. "Bella, why don't you go somewhere else to sleep?" she said slowly, using her luring voice.

Bella blinked and stood up. She walked to the door and opened it, murmuring, "Yeah, I think I'll go to the studio." _Crap, is Tanya's voice working on her?! _

Then she turned back to look at Tanya. "Tanya, why don't you join me?"

Tanya smiled sweetly. "No, I thought I'd stay with Edward to catch up on old times."

Bella looked at Tanya, her gaze steady. "No, I think you'll come with me."

Tanya looked confused at Bella's reaction. She looked at me, then back at Bella and scoffed. "If you wish."

I moved over to Bella in a flash. I touched her face and looked into her eyes. "Bella, you can't fight Tanya."

Bella smirked at me. "Of course I'm not going to fight her, Edward. I just want to talk to her out of earshot of the entire house. A little privacy?" She looked back at Tanya. "Shall we?"

Tanya started to follow Bella. I grabbed her arm as she passed by. "Tanya, don't you dare touch her."

Tanya scoffed again. "Give me a little credit. I have no interest in harming her." _It would be like squashing a bug, Edward. _Then she followed Bella down the stairs and out of the house.

~#~

I stood on my balcony and listened for any whisper of conversation between them as they walked to the studio, but they were silent. When I felt I'd given them ample time to get there, I jumped off the balcony and ran over. Jasper, Emmett and Rosalie were quickly at my side. We snuck into the surveillance room again. Alice came shortly after.

"Where are Carlisle and Esme?" Jasper whispered.

"You don't have to whisper. I made this room soundproof. They can't hear us." Alice said. "I convinced Carlisle and Esme to stay behind. I didn't think Bella would want the parents to hear this."

I looked at Alice trying to read what she knew but she was blocking me by humming the theme from Jeopardy in her head.

Bella had put on Tears for Fears again and was pacing back and forth while Tanya just looked at her.

"What's with this band?" Emmett asked. "She sure likes them a lot." _Yeah, no kidding._ Bella didn't know that I knew _exactly_ why she liked them, but I wasn't about to share it with my siblings.

Bella continued pacing and began to speak. Her voice was calm. "Why do you want him Tanya? Are you in love with him?"

Tanya just looked at her, watching her pace. The only sound in the room was the music.

Bella then stopped to stare at her. "Yeah, I didn't think so." She turned away from Tanya and walked over to grip the bar that stretched across the mirror. She was facing us but looking at Tanya's reflection in the mirror.

"So what is it? You've already had him… several times. Is it just a game to you? Or are you thinking that this time, if he stayed, you wouldn't leave him?"

Tanya spoke again in her seductive, luring voice, "Ah, Bella. Why don't you just let him come to me another night? Let him compare and see who he leaves."

Bella turned around to face her. "You know, your little luring, seductive, mind trick voice? It doesn't work on me… so don't bother."

Emmett looked at me. "What? That doesn't work on her? No shit?"

"So why are you here? He's told you no." she said, moving over to the table where her iPod was playing. "He says he's bonded to me, which he tells me is permanent. So if you get him into bed and then he leaves you again to come back to me, you're right back where you started. No Edward."

Tanya rolled her eyes. Her tone was biting. "Ha! Edward has never settled down with anyone and now he's BONDED? To an ordinary human?"

Bella's hands were on the iPod, scrolling through the songs. "I am just a human... I'll give you that." Bella selected a new song and pressed play.

Once again, Bella started pacing, stretching her arms and rolling her head on her neck. And then she started doing a different, shorter kata than yesterday. Tanya's eyes followed her as Bella practiced around her. Noticing Tanya's curious look, Bella said, "I'm just going to keep moving... helps me think more clearly."

Bella continued her movements. "Did you know that I was a virgin before I got involved with Edward? It's been quite a learning experience." She stopped in one of the poses that looked very much like Laurence Fishburne challenging Keanu Reeves in the Matrix. She was facing Tanya. "Clearly, I don't have all the expertise that you do, but I can understand why you'd want him back in your bed." She cocked her head and stared into Tanya's eyes. "He's damn good."

Emmett patted me on the back. "Atta boy, Edward."

Bella continued the kata. "You know, he actually bit me before we slept together, and because of the bond and because he was my first, he tells me that my blood retains the essence he got from the original bite."

She then froze into another pose, her left knee up, poised as if ready to do a snap kick in front of her. "So every time he bites me, it tastes virginal." Bella lifted her shorts leg up slightly to point out the fang marks she had on her inner upper thigh. "Particularly here. I don't know… seems like a good reason to keep coming back to the human."

Tanya's eyes flashed but she stayed silent while Bella continued moving to the music.

"Did you know that he can't read my mind?" She paused again, balanced on her left leg, the right leg out to the side, her right arm equally straight, blocking over the outstretched leg. "I'm the only one. I'm often able to surprise him; he never knows what I'M about to do."

"And, as you've just learned, I'm immune to vampire luring tactics."

Tanya continued to follow Bella around with her eyes.

Bella kept moving, elegantly kicking and punching to the music, making her way over toward Tanya. "Yeah, I'm a human…" The music finished and so did her kata. She put her fists at her side and bowed in front of Tanya, still looking at her. Then she stood to face her and smiled. "…but I'm certainly not ordinary... especially not to him."

"You tell her, Bella." Alice whispered.

"So," she said, moving away from Tanya to the large punching bag in the corner, "I think you're better off leaving him alone. You know you don't love him and I know that if I'm too old to play these ridiculous kinds of chasing games, you certainly are."

"Oooh, snap!" Emmett whooped.

Bella did a side kick at the big punching bag. "You will NOT come into our bedroom again." She kicked the bag again. "You'll keep your hands off of him." Then a third kick. "And you will back off."

Tanya laughed and folded her arms. "Or what?"

"Uh, oh. That did it..." Jasper said.

Bella turned and walked slowly toward her. Her expression was fierce; her brown eyes were black with anger. Vulcan Bella was gone. "Or, I will go back into that house right now and have him use those awesome fangs of his on me to suck me to that point, and then I'll get him to turn me." She stepped in closer to Tanya. "And then, when I'm a vampire, I'll come back in here and kick your ass across this room, rip out a piece of this floorboard and stake you with it."

"I love this woman," Rosalie said with awe and admiration in her voice. We all turned to stare at her, open mouthed. "That's right Bella, he's YOUR man."

Bella continued. "And after, while you're stuck here immobile? I'll bring him back in and make you watch us as I ride 'em cowboy."

"Whoa..." Emmett muttered.

As had happened last week, Bella's elevated anger was turning me on, not to mention all the things she was mentioning doing with me. Seeing her take on Tanya was overwhelming me. My hands gripped onto the ledge of the window that I was leaning on.

Jasper could feel it instantly. _Jesus, Edward, can you control yourself? You're a complete horn-dog right now!_

Tanya's eyes were wide when Bella finished, then she slowly smiled and raised one eyebrow. I heard admiration in her mental tone before she spoke. "You are not an ordinary human." She cocked her head and looked once more at Bella. "He chose well… " she said softly. She turned to leave. "I can't fight that bond. I won't interfere any longer."

Bella was still furious. She smiled tersely and nodded. And then she turned back to the punching bag as Tanya left the room.

I was still being drawn in. Alice spoke, walking backward to the door, pulling the other three with her. "Okaaay, I think we need to get out of here. Now." They ran down the stairs and out of the building.

I continued to watch Bella through the mirror. "I'm going to stay," I said to nobody.

~#~

I flashed down the stairs and up the main entrance to the studio. Bella saw me immediately.

"Oh, no, you did NOT eavesdrop on that conversation…" she said cautiously.

I walked toward her slowly, pointing. "That's a one-way mirror."

Bella's mouth dropped open. And then she ran out, down the stairs and searched for the other entrance. Finding it, she ran up the stairs two at a time into the surveillance room, taking in the view from that side. I was right behind her the whole way.

She spun to face me. "Did you watch the whole thing?" she asked angrily.

I was trying to push her buttons. "We all did."

She walked up to me and poked me in the chest. "What the hell? Is there nothing private here? So they all know?"

"Get used to it, Babe."

Her eyes flew open. "Did you just call me 'Babe'? she asked. I knew she hated that term. "Holy shit, are you TRYING to piss me off more?!"

"Yes."

That clearly surprised her. "Why?"

"I thought maybe I'd get a chance to see you 'ride 'em cowboy,'" I said smirking.

She gasped. "You asshole!" she shouted, shoving me.

I grabbed her wrists and walked her backward to the wall. Her anger was intoxicating me… I didn't know how long I was going to last before taking her. I took her hands and pinned them high above her head and I crushed her to the wall with my body, my mouth on her shoulders, her neck and her lips. "Bella…" I moaned. She could feel my excitement throughout my body.

"Oh my God, Edward, you're... you're hard! What…"

My mouth stopped her, my kiss urgent. I let go of her wrists and started ripping at her t-shirt. My hands found their way into her shorts.

Her energy level went up another notch as she gasped at my frantic movements. "Wait, what are you doing?"

I pulled back to look her in the eyes. "Having crazy vampire sex with you," I said, my fingers finding their destination in her underwear. She inhaled sharply, holding her breath and closing her eyes. I leaned in to whisper in her ear. "This room is soundproof, by the way." My mouth, already starting to tingle, continued down her neck toward her chest. She threw her head back and moaned. I looked up at her and she brought her head back down, opening her eyes to look into mine. Her lips started curling into a smile.

"Giddy up," she said, pulling me down to the floor roughly.

_I love this woman. _

_I really do._

~#~

It was late when we arrived back at her apartment on Saturday. The rest of the visit had gone very well. Tanya had bowed out gracefully and she left with newfound appreciation for Bella and actual respect for our bond. Moreover, Rosalie had become Bella's biggest fan overnight: anyone that bent on keeping her man couldn't be that bad.

Bella walked over to her answering machine which was beeping with a message. I dropped the bags and wrapped my arms around her waist from behind, kissing her neck. "Alone at last," I murmured.

"Thank goodness!" she said chuckling. She pressed play.

"Hey Bells, it's Jake. It looks like I might have an opportunity for a project in Chicago this summer. We're coming out sometime soon to do the sales call. Anyway, I really want to see you when I come out. I've missed you a lot. Give me a call back."

Bella shook her head and turned to me. Her eyes were dark. "When it rains, it pours."

_No shit._ Now it was my turn to lose it. I ran my hands through my hair and moved to sit down on her papasan chair. I exhaled. "Fuck!"

_Here we go again._

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**A/N: Thanks for reading. Feedback is appreciated. **


	7. Jacob Freakin’ Black

**Disclaimer: The characters of Twilight are owned by Stephenie Meyer. The content, ideas and intellectual property of this story and the 'American Vampire Series' in its entirety are owned by Just4ALE.  
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Chapter 7: Jacob Freakin' Black**

**BPOV**

"Fuck." Edward exhaled, putting his head in his hands.

Any other time, I would have been shocked at Edward using such language. He was from a different time when bad words were unacceptable in front of ladies. This time, however, I could see his point.

Fuck indeed.

I walked over to my drawer and took out a t-shirt and shorts. And then I went into my bathroom to brush my teeth and get ready for bed. I looked at myself in the mirror and examined the fresh bite mark on my neck from our extraordinarily long day in the surveillance room. _Okay, a neck scarf for me on Monday at the new summer job._ We didn't leave the room until I almost passed out from hunger that evening. Oh, but what a day… a day of bliss that seemed a million years ago now.

I exited the bathroom and noticed that Edward was still sitting in the same position on the papasan as when I left him. I sat down on my bed cross-legged, staring at my hands. The silence was deafening. _Thanks Jacob. Impeccable timing, once again. _

Finally, Edward spoke. "Why has he been calling so much lately?"

I continued to look at my hands. "Has he?"

I could see his movement in my peripheral vision. He looked up at me. "Bella, you know that he has."

"Yeah, he has."

"What happened? For three months, there was nothing, not one call… and now over the past month, it seems like it is constant. Haven't you told him about us?"

"Yes."

"Then why…"

I sighed loudly and looked at him. "He's calling more _because_ I told him about you."

"I don't understand…"

"Edward, please don't sit so far away from me. Will you come here and lie down?"

"I have to lie down for this?" he asked, his voice hard.

"No," I said. "I just want to be near you right now. This is just the way Jacob is and I need you to understand it."

Edward stood uneasily and came to sit next to me on the bed. He was tense. I reached for his hand: it was limp in mine.

And then I started to cry. The stress of the week had worn me down. Jake was just the last straw.

Edward gasped and in a flash we were lying down, his arms around me holding me to his chest.

"Bella, I'm sorry. Please don't cry. I'm here… you can tell me."

He held me for a while, wiping the tears gently from my eyes. Eventually, I felt ready to speak about it.

I took a deep breath. "Years ago, Jake and I talked about one day taking a trip to Alaska to see whales and icebergs and Denali National Park. About a month ago I spoke with him. I told him about finally going to Alaska. I told him about you and the upcoming trip: I thought that it was pretty significant that I was going to meet your family. So, now he's just being Jacob. Lavishing his attention on me… to avoid losing me."

"But, I thought he didn't want you."

"Edward," I said quietly, "Jacob is in love with me. He has been for years."

Suddenly Edward was standing in between the two windows, leaning against the wall.

"Please don't do that… come back here with me."

He stood like a statue, looking at me.

My nerves were frayed: I was tired and angry and sad all at once. I took a deep breath trying to calm down… I needed to get through this.

"Edward, cut the shit. With the crap I just put up with this past week with Tanya, you could at least be patient and listen before you start reacting. For God's sake, I doubt that Jacob would ever flash you!"

Edward grimaced and then came back to the bed. He faced me and held my hand.

"I'm sorry, go on," he prompted.

"We met when he started at BCG and I had already been there a year. We became good friends and I wanted it to be more, but he didn't want us to be exclusive. The hard part was that I knew he loved me and was too afraid to admit it. A 21-year-old guy doesn't want to meet his potential future mate at that age when he still has wild oats to sow. I told you that it messed with my emotions…."

Jacob and I had both been analysts at BCG in Boston. While we were friends, we had also messed around a little, but he never wanted anything serious. However, any time any other guy got interested, Jacob did the full-court press on me, and I was always a fool and dropped the other guy to go back to him because I thought he was finally ready. But he never was.

"So, now he's just doing what he always does. He starts to worry he's losing me to someone else before he's had his chance and I'm on his mind more. The interesting thing is that he does this subconsciously, I think."

Edward looked down at my hand in his. "Do you love him, Bella?"

"Yes…"

Edward inhaled sharply.

"He is my friend. He always was, even when things were confusing between us. I've loved him for years…" I touched Edward's cheek. "But I'm _in love_ with you, Edward. I didn't know the difference until the day you saved me from those vampires by the pond. Jacob lost me the second you marked me as yours."

Edward's eyes finally met mine. His expression softened, worry no longer clouding his eyes. He lay back in the bed holding me.

"I want you to meet him if he does come into town. He needs to see me and us and to see that I've moved on. I need for him to give this up…"

"Yeah, that will happen." he said chuckling bleakly. "He sounds like he has a competitive streak in him. If he is as you describe, I hope he won't be asking me to whip it out so we can measure and compare."

I ran my fingers gently up and down his chest. "You'd win on that one anyway." I said softly.

Then Edward was gone again, standing by the windows. His hands were gripping the edges of the window sills on either side of him. Meanwhile, I had fallen flat on my face on the pillows where he had just been. I sat up and stared at him.

"Oh for Pete's sake, stop that. You keep doing that and one of these times I'm going to fall out of bed and crack my skull!"

His eyes were wide. "You've seen him?"

"Yes," I said, exasperatedly.

"You said it was tame between you two!"

"It was… I only saw it twice."

"TWICE?? How is that tame?"

"Obviously we didn't sleep together. It was only at the end, before I left town."

Edward hands tensed and suddenly window sill pieces were on the floor by his feet.

"Hey! Break crap at your own home, not mine! I have a security deposit on this place!"

"Why would you have seen him, Bella?" he growled.

I flopped back down on the bed to lay flat on my back. I spoke slowly, looking at the ceiling. "I hate to play the Tanya card again, but given your past and the number of vampire vaginas you've likely seen in your lifetime, seeing one guy's privates only twice hardly warrants this reaction, Edward."

"So, what does he look like?" he asked.

I sat up. _This sounds familiar._ I thought I'd try to lighten the mood. "Assuming you're talking about his face… I'd say that he looks like a BCG senior analyst, I guess."

"Now YOU'RE trying to piss me off… It doesn't work the same way, Bella. Your anger turns me on, my anger doesn't."

"Okay! Jacob is good looking… but not as gorgeous as you. I'll show you a picture." I went to a box in the closet and removed it. I found a picture taken at the BCG holiday formal several years back, handed it to him and sat back on the bed. I remembered that night clearly. It was the first night Jacob kissed me… a memory I had held on to dearly until the day Edward kissed me at the pond and replaced Jacob forever.

"He is good looking," he said, "And suddenly, I want to crush his skull."

_Jeez our emotions are all over the place tonight. Where's Jasper when you need him?_

"Edward Cullen, you get back in this bed right now. My heart and soul belong to you, and you only. No one can compare. Enough about Jacob Black!"

Slowly, he walked back over, got in the bed and held me in his arms. We looked at each other silently a long time. After a while, he began to gently rub my right shoulder with his hand.

Finally, he spoke. "I'm sorry for all of my reactions tonight, Bella. My heart and my soul, if I have one, belong to you too. Forever. And one more thing."

"What?"

He kissed me softly on my lips. Then he reached for the hem of my t-shirt and started to pull it up off of me.

"My body is yours as well," he said, pulling me to lie on top of him.

_I'll take it._

~#~

Two weeks later, Jake was in town for his client meeting. We agreed to have dinner at Frontera Grill, an inventive Mexican-themed restaurant close to his hotel. I asked Edward to come join us after we finished eating; we'd pretend that evening TF work kept him occupied enough to miss dinner.

It was nice seeing Jacob. He looked the same, handsome as ever with his dark eyes, hair and complexion. Only one thing was different: I no longer felt the confusion I once had when hanging out with him. I felt only friendship. It was great.

We caught up on the old analysts with whom I'd worked, including those who had also left for B'schools last year. We discussed family and school work. Projects and hobbies. He brought up everything… except Edward.

I finally decided to ask outright. This wasn't likely to go over well, but I needed to address it. Jacob was used to Blunt Bella anyway.

"So tell me, Jacob, why have you been calling so much lately?"

He smiled. "What do you mean? Can't a friend try to catch up with another friend?"

"Ah, cut the crap. You haven't called me regularly for months and now it's guns a-blazin', let's pay attention to Bella time. Even Edward noticed it."

He rolled his eyes. "That's ridiculous. He's just jealous of another guy."

"Bullshit. You didn't start calling me again to be all chummy until I mentioned that I was going out with Edward. You've done this every time another guy ever paid attention to me."

Jacob squared his jaw. "Bella, you're imagining things."

I was getting pissed off. That was one thing Jacob was good at… making me upset. _Cool, maybe Edward will be turned on when he gets here…_

"Really? Why are you volunteering for a project in Chicago, then?"

"What do you mean? I'm just being staffed on it if it sells."

"Look, I talk to the analysts here in the Chicago office, so I know you volunteered to be on a Chicago project. You called up the head of the office."

"So, can't I try to expand my geographic scope? What's wrong with wanting to be close to my best friend? Wouldn't it be fun to hang together for the summer?"

"Sure, as long as you don't mind being a third wheel a lot."

"What, he doesn't let you go out by yourself with other friends?" he said bitterly.

"Of course he does. I'm here with you now, aren't I? But why would I want to be away from him? He's wonderful. I like spending time with him. That is what happens when you love someone, Jake. You try to spend as much time with them as possible. You should try that sometime, once you find someone who you'll admit that you love."

Jacob's face went blank, but for the briefest of seconds I saw a glimmer of fear flash through his eyes when I said love with regard to Edward. Then he gave me his Jacob turns on the charm smile. I knew every one of Jacob Black's looks.

"Well, I like spending time with you, Bells," he said in his flirty voice that used to confuse me. "That's why I'm here. Maybe I _have_ found someone I love," he said. He started to reach for my hand. And then he stopped, his hand inches from mine, his eyes clearly following someone in his view behind me.

"Hello," said a velvety voice. We looked up and there was Edward, looking stunning as always. He smiled and extended his hand.

"I'm Edward. You must be Jacob."

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**A/N: Hmm… great timing, Edward. Thanks for reading so far. Please review.**


	8. And For That I’m Grateful

**Disclaimer: The characters of Twilight are owned by Stephenie Meyer. The content, ideas and intellectual property of this story and the 'American Vampire Series' in its entirety are owned by Just4ALE.**

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**Chapter 8: And For That I'm Grateful**

**EPOV**

"Men are scum," I heard one of her friends tell her at school.

Oddly, it was a male who told her this. He said he wanted to write a book about all the things men think and do that women never know about: Men are Scum: The Untold Story. _He'll make a fortune... and ruin it for all guys everywhere._

Ah yes, men are scum. I was no better than any of them.

I'd stalked a young human woman, plans unknown. Follow her, bite her, kill her… all unclear at first.

Love her, is where I ended up. I loved my Bella so dearly and I was always so desperately afraid of losing her.

As I'd come to learn each day more and more, Bella was like an iceberg… at least 85% of her feelings were hidden far beneath the surface. The woman was a black hole of emotions and I was constantly trying to evoke them from her... particularly anger, which we had recently learned drove me wild.

So in the days before Jacob's visit, I decided to do something I didn't like to do often. I decided to ask her how she felt about me, and the answers I received were very reassuring.

She gushed about me! She told me how smart I was and how witty. How caring and thoughtful I was with her. How handsome she found me and how hot she thought my body was. How I made her feel when I made love to her. Bella loved me with all of her heart.

Of course, she was asleep when she told me this.

I had recently discovered that if I talked to Bella while she was sleeping, she would answer back. As this was the only way I could get at those thoughts that she held locked up in her head, I found myself doing it quite often.

Unfair advantage? Yes, I know, but I couldn't help myself.

You see? Men ARE scum.

But despite the fact that Tanya's visit had shown me the lengths to which Bella would fight to keep me, I was still insecure. The man about whom she once cared was looming and would be trying to take my girl away from me… and I needed the reassurance.

So I probed her feelings for Jacob as well… which also brought me comfort.

Bella loved Jacob, but at this point it was only friendship to her. Her greatest concern was that she didn't want to hurt him, and the knowledge that she would have to do so was tearing her up.

So, as I prepared for his visit, I realized that I couldn't be jealous of Jacob. I could only feel sorry for what he was about to lose.

~#~

That was, of course, until I walked in on him flirting with MY girlfriend and almost telling her that he loved her.

_Okay, Jacob, so it's going to be that way huh? Let the games begin. _

"Hello," I said as his eyes looked me over. "I'm Edward. You must be Jacob."

Jacob smiled widely and stood up to shake my hand. "Yes, Edward. Bella has told me about you." _So this is him, huh? Kind of pale. Tall. Green eyes. What's with the hair?_

"Please sit down," he gestured. I pulled over one of the empty chairs and moved it just slightly closer to Bella.

"So you're here on a project assignment?" I asked. "What kind of project?"

"Strategy. Market penetration for cellular service," he responded.

"Will your analysis have to account for actual cell tower real estate and PUC timelines, or will you be staying out of that?" I asked. _Just trying to make small talk._

_What the hell? How does he know this?_ "We're scoping it out tomorrow with the client," he said. "Have you worked in the cellular industry?"

"No," I said, "but I studied the industry in college."

"Bella said you were a Biology PhD candidate?"

"Yes, but that's my graduate work. Undergrad was economics." Well, one of the undergrad degrees was…

"Oh, did you go to Chicago for undergrad?"

"Harvard." _Whipping it out. Get the tape measure. Who is the competitive one, huh Edward?_

_Shit,_ Jacob thought.

"You?" I asked, "Where did you go before BCG?"

"UCLA."

"Oh, are you from California?"

Bella answered. "Nah, Jake's from Washington too, actually, but he wanted to go somewhere warm for college. He loves the sun. Look at his skin." She was trying to put Jake at ease. I could see that she could tell he was feeling a little insignificant. _Good._

I reached for Bella's hand. "I guess he doesn't share our problem, huh?" She looked at me with a sly smile. _Yeah, she knows what I'm doing. Marking my territory._

Jacob looked at Bella's hand in mine. _Sure pal. Think what you want. She always comes back to me._ "So, you're from Alaska?"

"No, from Chicago, actually. My family now lives in Alaska."

"Bells and I were planning to take a trip to Alaska someday… I really wanted to see the wildlife and nature up there. Unfortunately, we didn't get to go, but we did go to Vegas, right Bells?" Jacob said, trying to mark some territory right back.

Bella looked at me. "Jacob taught me how to play Craps when we were there. It was fun."

"Bella, I didn't know you liked to gamble. You could have jumped in on Jasper and Emmett's bets. You would have won," I smirked.

Bella laughed and said, "Yes, I would have." She looked at Jacob to explain. "Edward has a big family. Four brothers and sisters. Jasper and Emmett are his brothers."

_Like I care about his family._ "So how was Alaska?" he asked. "Did you get to Denali National Park?"

"Actually, we never left the family grounds. We had so much fun just spending time together. Their house is huge!"

"Bella spent a LOT of time in the Karate studio," I said, my eyes looking at her from the side. She turned her head to look at me with big eyes, did a purposeful blink and then flushed red.

_Bella is blushing about the Karate studio. I don't think I want to know._ Jacob was getting a little uncomfortable about his position.

"So Jake, I didn't ask you," Bella said, changing subjects. "Will you be applying to B'school in the fall?"

"Yes."

"Where will you apply?"

"The usual ones… the Ivies, Berkeley, Stanford, UCLA…"

I suddenly became aware of a thought that was floating around in his head. I decided to draw it out.

"So how will you make your decision if you are fortunate to get into all of them?" I asked.

Jacob squared his jaw and looked me in the eye, clearly trying to stare me down. "Well, where I end up may be influenced by where Bella will be working."

_Shit, by the time we're done marking our territory, Bella will be covered with urine from both sides. This is ridiculous!_

"What?" she said. "Why?"

"Well, as I just told you, it would be nice to have my best friend around."

"Jake, that's nonsense. You should go to the best place you can get into. As you told me, 'don't consider me in your decision,'" she said. Her voice was hard on that last part.

He smiled. "Aw, Bells, I don't have to listen to my own advice. Why wouldn't I want to be where you are?"

Bella stood up, suddenly furious. _Gah! She went from 0-to-angry in 1.3 seconds. Yikes! Not here, Bella… save it for home!_ I stayed motionless.

"Okay, that's it. Jake, can I speak to you outside? Edward, please excuse us."

Jacob was confused for a moment but followed Bella as she stormed out of the restaurant and waited for him on the sidewalk. I, of course, could hear it all. I called for the check.

"Jake, I'm done with your games. No more."

"What games? Bella, I'm serious. I want to be where you are…"

She spun around and faced him. "Jacob Black, after all these years don't you dare try to reveal any unspoken feelings for me now. Keep it to yourself because it doesn't matter.

Jacob was shocked. "How I feel about you doesn't matter?"

"Don't try to make me feel guilty. You know that you were the most important thing to me for three years, and you never wanted anything beyond what we have right now."

"That's not true. I just wasn't ready then."

"What and you're ready now? What was the trigger, huh? What made you decide that over the past six weeks? Hmm, could it be him?" she said, pointing in the restaurant. Jacob looked in my direction, clearly sending daggers my way.

"I don't want to hurt you Jake. Unlike you, I actually care about sparing your feelings. But now, if it comes down to a choice between your feelings or mine, I'm choosing mine for once. And I'm choosing him!"

At this point, having paid the tab, I stepped out of the restaurant, holding her briefcase and jacket. She looked up at me with furious eyes that softened when they met mine. She swallowed and gestured for me to wait for her a little farther away.

Bella stepped in closer to Jacob and spoke in a softer, lower voice. "Don't take the project in Chicago. There is no point. The train has left the station. You missed it."

She started to turn to walk toward me and Jacob grabbed her arm, "I..."

"No. You missed it." She walked to my side and softly took my hand as I led her away.

~#~

It was silent as we drove home. Bella was lost in thought and I let her stay there, holding her hand. I knew she'd talk when or if she was ready. When we got to her apartment, I brought her upstairs so that she could wind down for the evening. I held her in my arms until her body relaxed and she started to breathe normally. Kissing her softly, I told her that I needed to run to the lab for an hour or so but would return later.

And, as you've probably guessed, I went back to Jacob's hotel; I knew how to find him from the information he had provided to her when he was planning the visit. I knocked on his door softly.

Jacob answered, clearly surprised to see me. "What do you want, Edward?" he asked harshly.

"I was hoping to talk to you briefly, if you wouldn't mind," I said quietly.

He thought about it for a moment and then gestured me in. There was a part of me that was pleased for the invitation… not that I wanted to harm him, but the invitation would block me just in case he got on my nerves.

Jacob sat down on the sofa where he had clearly been sitting before I arrived. There was a half-finished beer on the coffee table. He picked it up and took another swig.

"So? Again, what do you want?"

I looked out the window at the Chicago skyline. "You're hurting her, you know."

"I think I know her better, Edward."

"No, I'd say that you've known her longer, but not better. Not anymore."

I turned back to him. "She says that you've been a good friend. A good friend wouldn't tear her up like this."

He looked up at me, angrily. "Well if she's torn, it means she has feelings for both of us. Why shouldn't I fight for her?"

"She's not torn between you and me. She's torn between wanting to maintain the friendship she values so much with you and having to end it. You're leaving her with no choice. She wants to be with me… and your throwing your hat into the ring is forcing her to choose the latter because she doesn't want to lead you on." _The way you led her on._

"She's been with you for what, five months? I've known her for three years!" he yelled.

"Yes, you have known her for a long time, Jacob," I said. "You can't tell me that you were oblivious to her feelings all of those years." He was silent, trying to stare me down. "You just chose to ignore them and hoped that they'd be there for you years later when you were ready to accept them."

Jacob stood and stepped up to face me about a foot away. "I think that you want me to back down because you're afraid that if we gave her the choice, she'd choose me." _As always._

"No," I said quietly, looking at him steadily. "I know that she won't. So do you. You must see it on her face this time."

Jacob's angry mask suddenly crumbled. He sat down on the sofa again and put his head in his hands. His body was shaking slightly. "I really have lost her this time, haven't I?" he whispered. "I was so stupid. I just let her go."

I turned to look out the window again and said nothing for a minute. Then I slowly made my way to the door, opening it to leave. "Yes, and for that I'm grateful," I said softly, as I stepped out.

~#~

As I drove home, I couldn't get Jacob out of my head. I had listened to his thoughts throughout the evening at the restaurant. He really cared for her. She was his best friend, his only confidante. He admired her and thought she was beautiful. He was finally realizing that he had been in love with her all that time… and he was afraid.

I thought of his tormented look and the pain he was starting to feel as he realized his loss. For once I was happy to have my gift and not Jasper's; I wouldn't have been able to cope with such devastation.

Bella was asleep when I arrived back at her apartment. At first, I could do nothing but look at my angel sleeping in her bed, her wet hair fanned across the pillow. Her beauty pierced me. I climbed in the bed to hold her.

I let her thoughts remain in her head that night, doing no probing. _Be at peace, my Bella._

"I love you, Edward," she sighed, in her dream state. I took a deep breath and closed my eyes.

For the first time since before I was a vampire, I dared to utter a small prayer:

_Dear God, if you do exist, thank you for her._

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**A/N: Thanks for reading so far. Feedback is appreciated.**


	9. Second Year Begins

**Disclaimer: The characters of Twilight are owned by Stephenie Meyer. The content, ideas and intellectual property of this story and the 'American Vampire Series' in its entirety are owned by Just4ALE.  
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Chapter 9: Second Year Begins**

**BPOV**

The summer flew by so fast. I worked at my internship and decided fairly quickly that investment banking was not for me… not that I thought it would be. I just wanted to try it out given that I was going to one of the top B'schools in the country for finance. At least I knew what I didn't want to do now. _Great, Bella, that only leaves every other field open for you. Good luck narrowing it down this year._

Outside of work, life got back to normal quickly once we had both opened, dealt with and shut our Tanya and Jacob 'Ex-Files.' Being in Chicago for the summer was a lot of fun. A number of my classmates had stayed around for internships and we got together regularly on Friday nights somewhere downtown for dinner and/or drinks. Edward sometimes met up with us… which was good because he was the only sober one there to talk us out of flying off to Mexico late one night after we'd all had too many upside-down margaritas and started calling airlines to see if we could leave immediately. Yeah, logic, young 20-to-30-something year olds with sizable summer-time wages and tequila did not always mix well together.

On the other hand, Edward rapidly became a BIG fan of tequila and body shots… in the privacy of his own home, of course.

I practically missed my September birthday at the start of the second year. I used to love my birthday, but this year I wasn't so big on it… I turned 26 and my boyfriend was still 17. Despite the fact that I looked much younger than I was and got carded all the time, it still bothered me. I remembered a formula for trophy wives… take your age, divide it in half and then add seven. If your significant other was less than that: trophy. I guess technically he'd been in that trophy category since we met so my aging wasn't changing that status. Oh well, if I was going to take home the trophy, at least it was the grand prize.

So my B'school second year began. I had all new classes and a whole new set of classmates as the first years joined the program. I continued taking Karate and started attending classes on weapons training and judo rolls. We started working with bo – long wooden six-foot staff – and sai, which was a knife with a long blade and two smaller prongs near the handle. The sai reminded me of a Klingon weapon I saw once in Star Trek III: a Daqtagh, which was an evil looking dagger… I was getting off on learning how to use it. _Yeah, what can I say: I'm a geek. _At least my teenage boyfriend liked Star Trek too.

Moreover, life with Edward was just great. He was so accommodating to my schedule, leaving me room to work on my degree and live the daily B'school life. Our physical relationship had taken some new turns since the trip to Denali. He seemed to always know exactly what I would like… it was uncanny. I began to think that he actually could hear my mind now and hadn't told me. _Who cares? Just go with it._

So naturally, when things are great you try not to rock the boat. I didn't want to have the 'where is this going' conversation. However, here we were at the end of October and recruiting was starting. Unfortunately, I had to address it.

One day, we were sitting at my apartment. He was grading papers and I was working on my resume on the computer. I took a big breath and decided to mention it.

"Recruiting season has begun," I said casually.

"Yes, I know," he responded.

"So, I have to start interviewing."

"Okay."

I paused. "Not every job will be in Chicago, Edward."

"Of course they won't," he replied. "You should go for the best job you're offered, no matter where." He was rapidly paging through the papers, speed reader that he was.

I was silent. So I should take any job. Just go. Unfortunately, I'd heard this kind of speech before from Jacob. 'Don't consider me in your decision.' Despite the fact that this was Edward and not Jacob, the statement and situation felt all too familiar.

Crushed, I saved my resume and slowly stood up. Putting on my coat, I grabbed my things and made my way to the door. "You know, I think I want some Thai food tonight. I'm going to walk over to 53rd to get some."

"Why don't you call and place the order? I can pick it up for you," he said, turning in his chair to look at me.

Knowing he could read my energy, I tried to be as cheerful as possible. "I… I need a mental break. Walking will do me good and I can wait for it and then come back."

He smiled. "Okay." Standing, he came over to kiss me. "Come back soon," he said softly.

I closed my eyes for the kiss. I was afraid to look at him and burst into tears. I felt it coming on… my throat was getting tight. "Be right back," I said, quickly exiting, my eyes avoiding his.

The tears started as soon as I turned the corner. We never spoke about the future. When I first found out that he was a vampire, I had joked about becoming one too. He told me then that I didn't want this kind of life. In our time together, I realized it had its positives and negatives.

Positive: You were never sick. You had years to study and better yourself. You had years to do all the things you couldn't do in one lifetime.

Negative: You never slept or dreamt. Your diet consisted of blood and blood alone. There was always the possibility that you'd kill someone, particularly someone you knew. You always had to stay incognito and hide what you were from the general human world; you were effectively in the closet all of the time.

Negative: You had to watch people come and go over time. You outlived all your friends and loved ones.

Positive: You stayed frozen, forever young. You could be with the one you loved forever.

That was assuming, however, that the one you loved wanted you forever.

I knew he was bonded to me. He told me he loved me, but he never mentioned my being a vampire with him. Ever. He didn't want me to be, I assumed.

But then what _did_ he want? Did it matter that I would be getting older and he stayed frozen at 17? Did he want to be near me for that long? What would that look like: an old lady and her grandson?

I walked slowly, lost in thought. Suddenly, someone grabbed my hand and pulled me into the shadows. As it was already dark out with no moon tonight, the shadows made it blacker. I instinctively reacted with a defensive move I knew by heart from Karate. Twisting my wrist and hunkering down a little, my right hand cocked back to get ready to rap the attacker in the face with my knuckles once my arm was free. He grabbed my hand and just held it, a few inches from his face. My eyes had not yet adjusted to the dark, but I could tell by his wonderful smell and gentle touch before I heard his voice. Edward.

"You're getting good at that," he said in a quiet voice. "It is becoming second nature to you. Block the attack, good."

I quickly wiped my eyes trying to be inconspicuous. "What are you doing here?"

"It occurred to me, after you left, that my statement may have been misinterpreted."

"What do you mean?" I asked, biting my lip.

He grabbed me gently by the shoulders and looked me in the eyes. With his vision, he could see me clearly in the dark. "I blew that, didn't I," he said softly.

"I'm still not clear…" I began.

"That black hole of energy that just happened. You became a negative seven. You were asking about the future… our future."

I said nothing, just looked down toward my hands.

He held me closer and hugged me. Then he said in a low voice next to my ear, "Bella, I assumed that it is a given. That you understood. I said to take a job wherever you get one because the location means nothing to me. I can finish my PhD anywhere. I want to be wherever you are."

"You do? What about your family? You were going to go back to them," I said.

His lips pressed below my ear and he began kissing his way toward my mouth. "You're my life now, unless you tell me otherwise," he murmured, "I plan to go with you."

The weight on my heart disappeared immediately. I sighed, a deep breath of relief.

He moved a little so he could look me in the face and his hand wiped away the last remnants of my tears. "Listen to your heart beat," he whispered. "How could you doubt me?" He held my face in his hands and softly kissed my lips.

I had nothing to say. I just shrugged. He shook his head. I could hear the smile in his voice.

"Now, did you really plan to eat Thai or was that just an excuse to escape? Because I ordered your usual so that it would be ready to pick up. I'll walk with you, if you want."

I grabbed his hand and turned to walk. He stepped along with me. "Silly girl," he said, kissing my hand.

After that, it was smooth sailing…

~#~

…Until a week later when Edward appeared to have some form of vampire PMS.

One morning as I woke up in his home, I found him lying on his back in the bed next to me instead of snuggled around me the way he usually was. I moved over to cuddle with him and started kissing his neck as I put my leg over his. He didn't move.

"Is everything okay?" I asked.

"Yes."

"Are you sure? You're usually more responsive than this. In fact, you're usually the one starting this."

"Just not in the mood, I guess."

That was new. Edward was ALWAYS in the mood.

"Okay." I rolled back on my side and frowned.

He got up and started walking across his room toward the bookshelves. Along the way, he apparently tripped over my sneakers.

"Jesus, can't you keep your stuff in one place!" he muttered. _Wow, he's in a bad mood. What crawled up his butt?_

"Sorry, I didn't realize I'd left them there." I tried to think about it. I typically removed my shoes at the downstairs doorway. I must have forgotten last night.

He looked around the room. "Your crap is everywhere! Can't you at least try to be neat in my home?"

I sat up. _What the hell? _"I didn't know it bothered you so much. You've never said anything about it before." I got up and started to pick up the stuff that was near my shoes. I thought I had folded it and put it on the chair as I always did. I looked at him and he was taking in the room, a sour expression on his face.

"What is wrong with you this morning?" I asked.

"I'm just tired of having to deal with an obstacle course all of the time. Maybe Jacob was okay with your sloppiness, but I'm not."

_Jacob? Sloppy?_ I was suddenly livid and seeing red.

"Well maybe I should just get all of my 'crap' and just go home!" I sneered. _What a way to start the day!_

"Maybe you should," he said, staring at me.

My mind was reeling. At that moment, I wasn't sure I wanted him to be anywhere near me after graduation if he could get this moody. I grabbed my stuff, shoved it in my bag and threw it over my shoulder. I shook my head and muttered, "asshole" as I stomped downstairs toward the front door. I didn't care that I was in shorts and a t-shirt and that it was almost November in Chicago. I'd just drive home this way: I wanted to get out of there fast.

My hand was on the doorknob when I felt him right behind me. I saw two hands on either side of my head pressed up against the door. I was seething: I didn't want to hear an apology if that was what he was coming to do.

"Edward, get your hands off the door and back off!"

He pressed into me closer, his hands moving from the door to my waist, hugging me from behind.

I started wiggling and tugging at his arms, trying to get free of his grasp. "Let me go, you jerk!"

And then I felt his lips pressed to my shoulder and his tongue moving up my neck. _Ah, not the tongue… Unfair, unfair! _His tongue was just so… nice.

His hands moved from my waist upward under my long t-shirt cupping my breasts. _Wha…_ Now I had to grip the door. I dropped my bag and stood there, overwhelmed. Meanwhile, his hands moved down my stomach and started removing my shorts. I felt a shock wave shoot straight through me down to my toes.

I was confused. "Edward… what…?"

"Don't you like this?" he asked. _Um, yes I do. How does he know that?_

"You just told me to leave… and now this? What do you want?"

"You," he whispered in my ear. Another wave shot through me.

And then it hit me. He'd orchestrated the whole fight just to get me angry. I knew I hadn't left my crap all over the place. He must have moved it while I was sleeping. He was just trying to push my buttons since I so rarely got angry at him. He wanted to see me like this.

And then I was angry again. "You shithead! Did you pick a fight on purpose?"

I could hear him chuckling. I shoved my body backward into him to push him away… which only made him more excited I guess. He growled and the pair of flimsy Alice underwear that I had on was gone in one quick rip. _Oh boy..._

"Hey, that was my last pair here! I don't have anything else!"

"Alice Fedexed some new stuff yesterday," he breathed, his hands moving up and down my thighs. I wasn't big on the idea that Alice had foreseen this scenario and the need for new undergarments. _Seriously, there is NO privacy with this family._

And then he disappeared from behind me. _What the hell?_

Suddenly, I felt something brush by my ankles. I looked down and there he was sitting below me, his back up against the door, his beautiful face looking up at me. _Hello. Okay, that's new._

"What are you doing down there?" I asked cautiously.

"What do you think?" he answered wickedly.

"Oh, no, Edward, I am going to fall if you start…"

"Then you'd better hold on," he said, grinning.

Two things went through my head right before I lost the ability to think:

_1. How does he know this about me?_

_2. That is one talented vampire._

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**A/N: Hmm, how ****does**** he know? Thanks for reading so far. Please leave a review.**


	10. Edward Knows Too Much

**Disclaimer: The characters of Twilight are owned by Stephenie Meyer. The content, ideas and intellectual property of this story and the 'American Vampire Series' in its entirety are owned by Just4ALE.  
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Chapter 10: Edward Knows Too Much**

**EPOV**

_Okay. I admit it. I'm a complete horn-dog around Bella._

The truth was that I absolutely and unconditionally loved her. She was smart and funny. Kind and serious. Honest and direct. And just naturally beautiful. I waited for 85 years for her and having in her my life made me complete.

But there was a slight problem. The more I was around her, the more I wanted. I couldn't get enough. She was a student and a human so I needed to let her study and have her rest, but I wanted her all of the time. _I mean ALL of the time. _

Part of this had to do with the fact that I was a vampire… plain and simple. Our passions and emotions were all intensified, so much stronger than those of humans. The scent of her blood was heavenly to me and taking it into my body regularly only magnified the attraction. Her scent combined with her higher energy levels? Completely overwhelming.

The other part? I was a 104-year old vampire trapped in a horny 17-year old body... and this 17-year old now had a steady girlfriend he was crazy about.

After seeing what her fury did to me during the Tanya chronicles, I kept hoping to see her angry, but that damn Karate worked to keep her cool as a cucumber most of the time. And so I resorted to provoking her, which actually worked out really well… that one time. After that, she was on to me.

It was an absolute joy the one day that I picked her up from school after a labor relations class she took. The class had broken into small groups to play union and management renegotiating a contract for ¼ of the class grade. The negotiations broke down that day and her team called a strike. She was so annoyed at the other team and their lack of willingness to negotiate – this was a mock case, mind you – that she was seething when she got in the car.

I couldn't even make it into my house; I jumped her in the car in my driveway.

But it wasn't just about me. I mean, okay, it _was_ about me and my 'fuckin' teenage libido' to quote my wise brother Emmett. But it was also about her. I really wanted to please her.

And then it was about me again. I was a man with an ego. I wanted to see how high I could push that energy level without the benefit of the bite. I'd really only gotten it to a seven at max. I was going for a ten.

Luckily I had some advantages.

Of course there were the dreamtime conversations I had with her. During her agitated state in Denali in the days before Tanya showed up, Bella was talking in her sleep more than usual. One night, I tried to soothe her by speaking to her quietly. To my surprise, she answered back.

So began our nighttime Q&A sessions. I probed her feelings about me and Jacob before he had shown up. Since then, I'd been trying to get at her fantasies. I could find out little bits and pieces of what she liked and wanted, but Bella was still a bit shy when it came to talking about sex… and she kept her desires locked away even in her dream state. So I used my other advantage.

When she first figured out that I was a vampire, she asked me a number of questions related to the stereotypical myths about us. And as we spent more time together, she'd pop out with another question trying to understand my existence.

"Can you read a person's past just by biting them? Do you get all of their memories too?" she asked.

"No," I said. "You can't get all of their memories."

Which was only partially true: while you couldn't get a person's memories, you did find out some useful information. I kept that to myself at first.

I started surprising her in our romantic escapades with things that I knew she liked. Things she'd never admit out loud. Like pinning her to the wall to kiss her, her hands and body trapped by mine, as I had in the surveillance room, sometimes taking her right there against the very same wall, her body straddled over mine.

I began pushing her a little past her boundaries to see what else she'd enjoy. After that, I'd question her in her dream state, once the idea was closer to her conscious mind. And each time I learned something new, I was able to push it slightly past that point. She was actually more open to different experiences than she'd ever let on or even than she realized.

It was awesome.

I started to make a Green Eggs and Ham-like mental checklist that we could go through together: 'I have done it in a car, I have done it on the bar. I have done it in a movie theater…' _Okay, nothing rhymes with movie theater, and I only fondled there her anyway. I have to work on this poem._

Eventually she noticed and called me on it.

"How do you know exactly what I like?" she asked one night as I held her in my arms.

"I'm observant," I said.

"Well, watching me carefully is one thing. I'll grant you that… no one has ever paid this much attention and picked up on so many nuances. But," she continued, "It's more than that. You seem to know things that I'm pretty sure I don't give away in my body language."

I decided then to come partially clean.

"You told me," I admitted.

She was puzzled. "What? When?"

"When I first marked you at the pond."

"I don't remember telling you anything. Did I talk?"

"You let your blood do the talking," I said. She continued to stare blankly.

I explained. "When we bite someone, we get flashes of what they're thinking about at that moment and other associated images."

Vampire legends often included stories of seduction. We were magnificent creatures that easily drew in our prey. Our voices, our smells, our movements were part of our predatory traits: even the 'ugly' vampires could do this. This other little ability was just part of our talent. Our reputations for being seductive were not undeserved; it was quite an advantage to know exactly what one's partner wanted when the bite was done in an erotic moment. Hence the biting during vampire sex.

Of course, I had always been able to hear my partner's desires before Bella.

"When I bit you the first time, I was trying to get you to concentrate on me and not the imminent danger bearing down upon us... so if you remember, I trapped you against the tree and started ripping at your jacket and scarf to get at your neck. With you being in a heightened state of arousal, I got a quick view of what turns you on."

Her jaw dropped and she sat up quickly. And then she yelled out, "Oh. My. GOD! You've been getting information from every bite since!"

I shrugged and nodded. "That's so not fair," she said. "Why do you have to have all the advantages? I don't know your fantasies."

"Bella, in all of my moments with you I'm acting out my fantasies. Don't worry about me…" This was the truth… but not the whole truth. I had one really big fantasy about her that I wasn't able to tell her.

Once the cat was out of the bag, it was fun to tease her for about what I knew.

Case in point: this Tears for Fears thing. Her comfort music and one of her favorite groups. She'd told me last year that it was background noise … just music to help her study. One day while we were at her apartment, she played the Seeds of Love album over and over while she was studying for a test.

As I sat at her desk looking at some of my research notes, I muttered, "Well at least I understand your obsession with this group now."

She was sitting in her papasan chair in the corner of the room and I could see her look up at me in my peripheral vision. Her expression was confused as she noticed the smirk on my face and her eyes started looking around the room: she was mentally churning through the statement to understand it. Then she gasped as she realized what I meant.

During one of my dream time chats with her in Denali, I asked her what was up with this group and her answer was so... Bella: she had her first erotic dream at age 18 about the lead singer. She hadn't seen much in the dream but she had felt it. I guess it was like the teenage girl's version of a wet dream, without the mess. After that, she unconsciously loved the group, although she never really consciously thought about sex when she was listening to them.

"No!" she shouted, covering her flushing face. "Why would that have popped into my head ever? Stop it! That's embarrassing!"

I laughed. "Bella, we've been together for nine months," I said. "And we've been in a lot of different situations. That embarrasses you? After everything else?"

She continued to cover her face. She just groaned. "Please, I need some privacy somewhere."

"Are you kidding? You're private all the time!"

"But Edward, you're getting stuff out of me that I haven't even figured out myself! Shouldn't I be the first to know?"

I got up and slowly walked over to her. "I love making you happy… why shouldn't I press my advantage in order to do that?"

She looked up at me from the chair. "I can't do the same for you, though. It makes this mighty uneven in a variety of ways, obviously."

"I don't mind," I said softly.

"Well, I do."

"Ah, you don't mind that much," I said, grabbing her off the chair and ghosting her across the room to lie on top of me on the floor in seconds. I ended this discussion by reliving another of her fantasies there on the floor.

"You got that from me too, didn't you?" she asked.

I nuzzled her ear and chuckled. "Of course."

"Edward, you have to stop doing this to me… I don't think I can take it. You're trying to push me to ten and maybe I don't go that high. Maybe I only go to seven or eight and you'll break me if you ratchet it up anymore."

"Don't you enjoy what I do for you?"

"Are you kidding?" she asked, kissing me softly. "Do I look like I'm in pain here? I'm just saying, I'm a mere human. You may have to dial it down a notch."

Bella got up, grabbed her nighttime t-shirt and shorts and went into the bathroom to take a shower and get ready for bed.

While she was in there, I thought about her statement. My logical 104 year-old side could see her point. _She might be right: maybe she will only ever go to an eight._

The horn-dog teenager, however, disagreed. _No way. Look how she reacted when you did it in that dark alcove outside of her apartment building last week._ _Do you like it on the floor? Do you like it against the door? _

_Ugh. Stop it Edward._

Then my perceptive girlfriend picked up on a small hole in my explanation.

She stepped out of the bathroom wrapped in a towel a few minutes later, steam wafting out from the hot shower. Her brow was furrowed. "Wait a second. You can't be getting this from the bites. We've _never_ had Tears for Fears playing when we've been together. It wasn't even on anymore when we were in the Karate studio that afternoon."

I groaned. _She caught you._

"Okay," I said slowly, "so maybe you talk in your sleep."

"I talk. Yes, I know that… my mom used to tease me about it."

I breathed a small sigh. _Okay, not caught._

She put her hands on her hips. Her eyes narrowed, looking steadily at me. "And what, I just VOLUNTEER information like that?"

"Well, er…" _Okay, definitely busted._

She cocked her head and exhaled loudly. Her eyes looked away for a second and she mouthed the words, "son of a…" And then she turned her furious eyes back on mine. "Edward Cullen! Have you been interrogating me while I've been sleeping?!"

_Holy shit! _She was fuming.

_Excellent…_

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**A/N: Ah, Edward. Thank you for reading so far. Please leave a review.**


	11. Things That Make You Go Hmmm

**Disclaimer: The characters of Twilight are owned by Stephenie Meyer. The content, ideas and intellectual property of this story and the 'American Vampire Series' in its entirety are owned by Just4ALE.  
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Chapter 11: Things That Make You Go Hmmm...**

**EPOV**

Ever since the day I revealed myself to Bella, I had been open and honest about my feelings for her. It sometimes astounded me that despite her keen intellect and powers of observation, she often missed what I truly meant. That conversation about her future job search was surprising to me; obviously there was only so much I could say about our future at that time but I still thought it was obvious that I would stay with her always. I realized each day how very different vampire bonding was from human bonding; never having been in love as a human, truly in love, I couldn't speak to this. In 85 years, I'd never felt anything different until the day I met her.

"Vampires, when they bond, are constant," I told her.

"People change their minds all of the time," she said. "That is the world I'm accustomed to."

I was concerned at first. "Do you think you'll change your mind?" I asked, hesitantly.

She rolled her eyes at me. "Edward, I've told you before… I'm not like other people. I'm a constant as well: only a force of nature changes my mind."

Bella: my oh-so unique human girlfriend. She was right… she was NOT like other people. The more time I spent with her, the more I learned about her distinctions from all other humans I'd ever known.

I'd already catalogued so many of her wonderful characteristics… beautiful, funny, smart. So reserved and controlled. Also the fact that she was the only being I'd ever met who could shield her mind from mine.

Then I came to find out another unique yet disturbing fact about her: Bella had an unconscious fascination and attraction to all things vampirish. This, I found out, had existed since she was a child.

To this day, I sometimes found her sleeping with her head covered. This began in elementary school: scared that a vampire – a vampire! – might bite her, she covered her head so that he wouldn't get her.

"A blanket wouldn't stop a vampire," I pointed out.

"Yes, but I figured that all things being equal, he'd see that it would be easier to go straight for someone else's exposed neck than my covered one. It would be a deterrent."

I shook my head, incredulous.

Then there was her musical taste. She had a Loud and Kicking playlist she'd made up that consisted of songs that were predominately written by, played or sung by or about vampires. Examples: Evanescence's Bring Me To Life? Too blatant, despite the fact that the lead singer tried to play it off as a song about changing her relationship. Pink Floyd? Just listen to Dark Side of the Moon sometime. The Black Crowes' Sting Me? Christ, it was practically a neon sign flashing 'Vampire Here.'

Obviously, I kept that information to myself. Unless absolutely necessary, you don't out other vampires, particularly celebrities.

She'd subconsciously identified me as a vampire within the first few meetings, much to my shock and amazement. But it wasn't until I revealed myself on a frozen pond that she realized she'd been spot-on in her assessment of me.

And finally, there was her crazy attraction to vampire havens that she knew nothing about. New Orleans, Bangkok, Santorini, Rio… she'd vacationed in them all, not realizing that those were some of the vampire capitals of the world.

But it wasn't until Angela showed up that I realized exactly how extreme and possibly dangerous her vampire attraction was.

Angela was one of her best friends and her cubicle mate at BCG. She was an attractive half-Asian woman, a year younger than Bella and, from what she told me, a lot like Bella – serious and quite reserved. Passing through Chicago, Angela made plans to stay over at Bella's apartment for an evening before heading back to her place in San Francisco. As Bella only had a studio, I would have to do without my Bella-quotient for the night. But she really wanted me to meet Angela. She pre-warned me that Angela was super-observant, a skill honed from years of being responsible for watching over her twin baby brothers since a very young age.

"Seriously, Edward, she puts me to shame and she's completely open to all things magical and otherworldly - she's read all of the Anne Rice vampire, mummy and witches books. If she figures it out and there is no way around it, I'm not going to deny it."

In order to get around the whole not eating issue, we decided to have me meet them at pub night after they finished dinner. I liked this idea: I didn't like going to pub night as a rule because the male energy directed at the females was a bit daunting. I particularly didn't like the energy directed at MY female, which obviously dissipated when I was around. However, I didn't want to interfere with her B'school experience and social networking was an important part of this, so I typically stayed away.

By the time I got there, Bella and Angela were laughing with some of the wolves, beers in hand. From the looks of things, Angela was getting a lot of attention: fresh meat. I noticed a table in the back opening up – my vampire radar ever at work – and I waved to Bella, gesturing that I'd be back there when she was ready. She smiled and nodded, pointing me out to Angela. They joined me when they could get free of their conversation about ten minutes later. I saw them talking as they made their way through the crowd. They were still laughing when they made it to the table. Bella introduced us.

Angela seemed surprised by my appearance. _Nice hair. Hmmm, he's so different looking from Jacob. That's a point in his favor already._

I liked Angela immediately.

"What's so funny?" I asked, watching their smiling faces. My heart warmed seeing Bella so at ease and happy with her dear friend.

"Angela is shocked by the attention," Bella said. "I think she's going to sign up for the program next week."

Angela shook her head. "It's crazy… I never get any attention. It's like I usually wear a big FU sign on my forehead, I hear." Bella looked at me and raised her eyebrows. _Yep, could be Bella's twin. _

"What was the topic that kept them so fascinated?" I asked, gesturing to the guys looking over in our direction.

"We were just telling them about some of the odd things we've had happen to us," Angela said.

"Like what?" I asked. I'm not sure if I knew of any odd things about Bella and Angela together, but then again, Bella didn't talk about her old job a lot with me.

They looked at each other and laughed again, launching into stories about their old days in the Boston office: a coworker's knock-down drag-out fight with her girlfriend that occurred right in front of them and a group-wide analyst discussion – males and females – on the pros and cons of the Wonder-bra that occurred over the cubicle walls.

"Oh, and then the day after that first trapeze class: we were in SO much pain, we couldn't breathe. Whenever we laughed it sounded like: 'Ha, ha, OW! Ha, ha, OW!'"

"Trapeze class?" I asked.

Angela was surprised. "She didn't mention it? When she and I were assigned to a San Francisco project for four months, Bella attended circus school at night."

My jaw dropped. How did I not know this? That seemed an odd thing not to mention. "You're joking, right?"

Bella looked at me, amused. "No, it's true."

"Why haven't you mentioned this? Was this a clown college?"

"No," she laughed, rolling her eyes. "It was flying trapeze lessons at The Circus Center. I was never going be great at it. What was there to tell?"

"You did flying trapeze," I stated, still wondering when she was going to say 'kidding!'

"I tried."

Angela nodded. "I saw her in a recital in San Francisco. She was great... she did a split into a catch and a blind catch too."

Bella frowned at her. "Well the show was great. I was just average, but I made the catch, which was what they want to see."

My mind was reeling. I thought I'd parsed out her background; I guess I forgot to ask if she'd ever trained for Cirque du Soleil in our "getting to know you" conversations. It was disconcerting to realize that there were still things I didn't know about Bella. _On the other hand, a trapeze swing... that could be interesting... hmm, bendy... I have done it in a chair, I have done it in the air..._

"Oh," Angela said, "and then our first year at Ward!"

"Yeah, that was the BEST trip," Bella agreed.

In my mind, I suddenly heard the sound of a needle being scratched across the semi-erotic record I was playing in my head. _Scriiiitttch._

"Wait," I said. "Ward? As in Ward, Colorado?"

They both looked at me, stunned. "You've heard of it?"

"Yes, I know where it is…"

They looked at each other in amazement. "Wow, that's a first," Angela said.

"What were you doing there?" I asked, hesitantly.

"We went to Gold Lake Resort and Spa. I selected it," Bella said, "because Jacob decided to go on vacation with no planning ahead of time so I couldn't go with him." Her eyes narrowed and her face took on a mildly aggravated look. Angela shook her head and sighed, "Jacob."

Bella gritted her teeth and growled. Then she turned back to me and continued. "Anyway, I looked for a place where a woman could vacation alone that had spa treatments and this place popped up as having an outdoor lake and ice skates included with the room rate. Then Angela decided to join me."

Angela piped in. "It was awesome… so spiritual. The wind was blowing like crazy the whole weekend. We sat in the outdoor hot pools and we snowshoed for the first time."

"We loved it so much and we were so happy there, all of the guests and staff were always smiling at us and coming to talk to us," Angela said.

Bella agreed. "We came back and told all the analysts that we were voted most popular... which obviously would never happen anywhere else: we're always the least friendly in any social setting."

"Except here," I pointed out, gesturing at the males in the room.

"That's a function of the ratio," Bella countered, reaching for my hand and squeezing it. I rolled my eyes. _So naive._

Angela continued. "Each year when we went back to Ward…"

"Wait, you've been there more than once?" I asked incredulously.

"We go every year," they said together. Again…_scriiiitttch._ "It's a crazy place full of VERY strange people… but we love it." Angela said.

My heart dropped into my stomach. I said nothing and let them continue, my eyes wary.

"After the first year there, we discovered the town," Angela explained. "It's a dive. You never see ANYONE out there midday: just a bunch of dogs and one person in the main general store who usually looks high, selling basic supplies."

"On the Saturday night of our visits, we go listen to bluegrass at the Millsite Inn, which is pretty much the only restaurant outside of Gold Lake's resort," Angela continued. "One night, this weird guy with a sword, an animal hide coat and woolly boots came in. He was really odd and he kept staring at Bella. We figured that we must have just looked like outsiders."

"Oooh, then later that night, we were driving from the Millsite back to our cabin and we came upon a tall guy with long dark hair in this dark duster coat and boots, walking alone with a dog in the middle of the dirt road leading to the resort. We didn't actually see him until we came right up on him. He moved a little to let us pass, but when we looked back in the rear view mirror, he wasn't there!" Bella said animatedly. Angela piped in, "It was freaky."

"The town is rumored to have a bunch of Vietnam vets, all paranoid and hiding out from the government, which is why we never see any of them during the day. There is also supposed to be a silver mine that they keep hidden. That's why they're supposedly so secretive," Angela added.

They continued on, finishing each others' sentences. Bella was having a great time with her friend and she seemed thrilled that I could meet her. I tried to concentrate on their stories, but this information was very disturbing.

After an hour, I excused myself to go to work. I kissed Bella, bid them farewell and then left.

As I drove to the lab, I mentally recapped a few things I'd learned during the evening:

1. Angela was nice and with kind thoughts toward Bella. It was clear they shared a great friendship.

2. My girlfriend had some other interesting hobbies and past interests that she clearly hadn't mentioned to me. Time to have some sleepy-time chats again, although Bella had forbade me from doing so.

3. And no matter what she might think, Ward was out of the picture for Bella in the future as far as I was concerned.

_Ward! Good grief!_

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**A/N: Hmm, what's up with Ward? Thanks for reading so far. Please review.**

_Post-A/N: No offense to the town of or inhabitants of Ward, CO, all 190 or so of them. I happen to love that area… but it is as described above. _


	12. Vampire Magnet

**Disclaimer: The characters of Twilight are owned by Stephenie Meyer. The content, ideas and intellectual property of this story and the 'American Vampire Series' in its entirety are owned by Just4ALE.  
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Chapter 12: Vampire Magnet**

**BPOV**

Angela and I got back to the apartment after midnight. As we readied for bed, she asked her in her typically casual Angela way, "So, when did you realize that he's a vampire?" _Yep, that's my girl._

I grabbed some pillows and put a new set of pillowcases on. Angela was _very_ perceptive, more so than I was. She missed nothing. Between the two of us, we could solve any crime. So my choices were simple: try to brush it off or come clean.

I looked up at her and smirked. "What makes you think he's a vampire?" I asked, continuing to make up the bed.

"The usual stuff. He has a night job."

"My dad used to work nights," I said.

"He didn't eat with us," she pointed out.

"He already had other plans."

"He's more pale than you usually go for."

"Look around. We're in Chicago; there are lots of pasty Midwest boys here at this school. It's not like we're in So Cal."

"In addition to being so good looking, he has BEAUTIFUL hair," Angela said. "Kind of like Johnny Depp in his 21 Jump Street phase, all mussed up. I can see the attraction there."

"It _is_ nice hair, huh? And Johnny Depp as a vampire would be AWESOME, wouldn't it?" I mock swooned. "But beautiful hair isn't vampirish."

She continued. "He's unnaturally still and very observant. He watches you very carefully."

"Angela, you can sit like a statue and you're the most observant person I know. That doesn't make you a vampire," I said. "Do you want any water for your bedside?" I asked.

"Yeah," she said, "thanks." I went to the kitchen to get two glasses for us. I heard her continue. "He seemed to recognize Ward though. We must have been right… that town is full of them."

I was puzzled. "Yeah, I don't know what was up with that. I'll have to ask him why he freaked out about it tomorrow." I handed her the glass.

"Anyway," she pressed, "all of that… and the mark you have on your arm."

I looked down at my arm: my short sleeved t-shirt revealed the remnants of the bite mark I had there. I'd forgotten about it. _Ugh. Looks bad. Busted._

"I doubt you've picked up any intravenous drug habits here at school, and that doesn't look like a karate bruise," she pointed out.

Given the high I felt when he bit me, I wasn't sure that this wasn't an intravenous drug of some sort. The real type… no outside chemicals, no needles.

"Ah, crap," I sighed. "I met him last November. He came clean sometime in February after I noticed similar things. It is a long and convoluted story that I'll have to explain some other time."

She sat down on the bed we were going to share. "He bites you?"

"Sometimes. If I let him or ask him to."

"Why would you ask him? Doesn't that turn you into one?"

"A simple bite, no, that doesn't do it."

"But why ask?"

"If you knew what it felt like, you'd understand," I said. "The fact that I don't ask every minute of every day shows amazing willpower on my part, and the fact that he doesn't unless I give him permission shows amazing restraint on his end."

She was quiet. She repositioned herself, sitting cross-legged on the bed. She put her elbows on her knees and clasped her hands, holding up her chin. "Um, where is this going? Have you talked about it?"

"He says he wants to come with me wherever I land my job. He'll finish his PhD long distance if he needs to."

"How old is he?"

"Almost 104," I answered.

"So this must be some mega PhD he's been working on," she said wryly.

"This is his eighth advanced degree. He studies, stays a while, and then has to move on before it becomes obvious that he's the same age." I knew that would appeal to her. Angela was VERY smart and would love to go for a PhD someday.

"Wow, there's a reason to be a vampire right there… you could keep studying anything that interested you!"

"That, and his skating ability. You should see it. I almost died the first time he took me out on the ice."

"Oh," she said, "there you go. He's got the moves alright. Skates right into your heart."

"No kidding," I said. We laughed and then she became quiet.

"I'll bet you they're all about blood banks, right?" she said matter-of-factly. I raised my eyebrows at her and nodded. "Have you asked him to turn you into a vampire?" she asked.

"No," I said. "We've never discussed it. I'm not sure he'd want me to be one. That's really signing up for forever, you know." I could feel my heart hurting as I admitted this. I'd mentally put this on the shelf.

"Are you sure you know what you're doing? This has to be dangerous for you."

"He doesn't want to harm me," I said. "I've obviously never met anyone like him. He's been nothing but good to me."

"Are you sure it isn't just a prelude to a…" she paused.

"Kill?" I finished. She winced. "It would be an awfully long seduction. As a rule, vampires don't need that much time to set up their prey. Nine months is way too long to 'play with one's food', if that was his intent."

She looked at me steadily. "Well, you look happy otherwise, and aside from this... issue, he seems... decent." she said quietly, a slight worried tone to her voice.

We crawled into bed and got under the covers. "Yeah, despite the fact that he could kill me at any moment, he's wonderful," I said chuckling, knowing that wasn't a worry. I turned out the light.

"LOOVE his hair," she said.

We both burst out laughing.

~#~

The next morning, Edward showed up at my apartment to say goodbye to Angela, carrying a hot chocolate for her and coffee for me. Angela's eyes were wide as she took in the view of Edward standing there in broad daylight. I hadn't had the time to outline the nuances of modern vampire life... perhaps another time.

He came in and sat down on the papasan chair. Angela was just finishing her packing. Edward's eyes met mine and he cocked his head. He heard Angela's reaction to his daytime appearance in her head. I nodded.

He leaned over, elbows on his knees, hands clasped in front of him. He put his head down and smirked. "Bella said you were perceptive."

She looked up from her bag, turning her head to the right to see him and then back to me, where I sat to her left on the bed.

I put my hands up and shrugged at her. "He can read people's minds, in addition to his other talents."

She smiled, looking at me. She blinked purposefully and then continued packing, talking to him while working on her bag. "It's not _that_ obvious, you know. It just so happens that Bella and I are overly aware of and open to mythical and otherworldly things. I guess if she never mentioned Ward to you, she never brought up the ghost who spoke to her in our room on our last visit?"

Edward's head snapped up. "What?"

"I'll tell you about it later," I said.

"Anyway," Angela said as the door buzzed signaling her cab, "I won't say anything. Just keep her safe, Edward. As much as I think you're an okay – guy, I like her better and I'll be on her side." She turned to me to hug me. "So let me know about the holidays," she said.

"Yep, I'll start looking into it for the holiday break if I can figure out how much money I can spare."

She turned to Edward and offered her hand. He stood to shake it. "It was very good to meet you Angela. You're everything she said you were," he said, smiling widely.

"I wish I could say the same about you, but she's been noticeably silent for the last several months," she said, turning to look at me and stick out her tongue. "Now I get why." She looked back and stared at him with narrowed eyes.

Edward laughed, reacting to whatever she must have been thinking. "I think you will. Goodbye."

"Thanks for the hot chocolate." She eyed me once more and said, "Talk to you soon."

I nodded. "Bye, have a safe trip."

I closed the door and locked it, getting ready to go back to Edward, but suddenly I felt him pressing up behind me. On either side of my head, I saw his hands, blocking my exit. He began kissing my neck softly. _Ah, how I love that._ I turned and he crushed me against the door. _And that too._

"Hello," he said, breathing his heavenly scent in my face.

"Hello." I put my arms around his neck and pulled him toward me for a proper hello.

"I missed you," he said after the kiss.

"What did Angela just think at you?" I asked.

"She told me to be good to you or she'll hunt me down. Did you have fun revealing all your secrets to her?"

"Hey, you know I didn't bring it up. She picked up on a bunch of the same little things I did when I met you, nicely punctuated by the mark on my arm and your odd reaction to Ward."

He stepped back from me at that point. "Yes, Ward. We need to talk about that." He grabbed my hand and led me back down the hall. He lay down on the bed, propped up on one elbow. I sat cross-legged, facing him.

"Tell me about this 'ghost,'" he said slowly.

"Why?"

"Just tell me."

"It was another freaky thing like all of the freaky things that happen in Ward. I was sleeping one night, head covered as usual, and suddenly I heard whispering in my ear. I sat up straight and immediately thought GHOST!"

"During that weekend, each of the girls lost an item. Angela lost an earring, this other analyst Jessica lost a hat and her friend Lauren lost a glove. The cabin isn't that big: there is no way to lose a glove or hat in it. I was the only one who didn't lose anything and I was the only one it talked to." Edward just looked at me, listening intently.

"Anyway, as I was checking out, a cleaning guy told me he thought that our cabin was haunted."

He continued to stare at me, stone-faced. "What did the ghost say?"

"I don't know, but it was right in my ear, you know? I was asleep at the time and so all I remember was hearing some whispering 'swa, swa, swa, swa' sound there by my ear. I kept my head covered the rest of the night, petrified."

He reached for my hand with his and held it. Then he took a big breath.

"It is a vampire town, isn't it?" I asked quietly.

"Most definitely."

"Do you think it was a ghost?"

"Probably not."

I was suddenly scared. "Holy shit! No kidding?" Then I started laughing. He looked up at my face, surprised.

"I told you that covering my head was a vampire deterrent."

He sat up instantly. "Don't laugh about this. It's something to be concerned about. You're simultaneously attracted to all things vampirish and you're a vampire magnet. It is amazing you're still alive!" His eyes were wild. "The missing items? Those vampires are collectors and they were taking tokens of their intended victims. You were going to be the first. You were attracting vampires even before me!"

"You're with me now: how much more attractive can I get? You've marked me, and my blood isn't all virginal anymore."

"Vampires will be drawn in, curious about my scent upon you. The mark only works among civilized vampires, and truthfully only up until a point. Ward is an entirely different beast. You cannot go back there again."

"But we're planning a trip on the holiday break if I can make the finances work. We've never had a problem."

"That was before we met. Now, it would be a very real problem. They're the true old type. That mine? It isn't silver. It's a haven… it's their crypt. Those dogs protect them during the day."

"Wow," I said, "we thought that the first time we heard about the mine… but we didn't believe it. We called those dogs 'The Hounds of Hell,' just like in The Lost Boys."

He shook his head and muttered, "The Lost Boys again…"

"But if they're the old type, they must only come out at night. We snowshoe during the day… it's all good."

"NO, NO, NO!" he roared, leaping off the bed. I cringed back.

"Jeez, have an opinion about this, do you?"

He ghosted to me and had me in his arms in milliseconds. He gently pushed the hair out of my face and kissed my forehead. "I'm sorry, Bella, but I've waited too long to find you to just send you off to a spot knowingly filled with old-school vampires. The only way I'd let you go is if I came with you and even then it isn't a good idea. They don't respect the mark. My scent would be a trail leading directly to a bona-fide tasty snack, one which another vampire has sampled time and time again."

He shook his head. "If Angela knows about the biting and what I am, she'll have to understand why this will be dangerous for you. If you need me to, I'll explain it to her."

"Aw, bummer. I was looking forward to doing something other than seeing Charlie and mom during the holidays."

"Well," he said, his eyes softening, "I have a different idea.... Let me take you to Paris for a week."

"Paris?"

"Yes, we could go after we visit your parents and be there for New Year's Eve."

"Really? Oh, but that is way more expensive than my Ward budget."

He rolled his eyes. "Bella, don't be silly... I have tons of money. Of course I'll pay. It will be my Christmas gift to you."

Paris! I hadn't been in about two years since I'd been on a brief assignment.

I smiled. "Oui."

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**A/N: Ah, Paris... Thanks for reading so far. Please review.**

_Post-A/N: Again, no offense to the town of or inhabitants of Ward, CO. But that ghost thing really did happen._


	13. Paris, Je t'aime

**Disclaimer: The characters of Twilight are owned by Stephenie Meyer. The content, ideas and intellectual property of this story and the 'American Vampire Series' in its entirety are owned by Just4ALE.  
**

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Chapter 13: Paris, Je t'aime**

**BPOV**

The Fall trimester ended well, despite Edward's constant attempts to get me beyond a seven anywhere he could. It was amazing that I was able to stay awake for finals given our increased nightly, and daily, activities.

We did a ridiculous "meet the parents" holiday tour, starting out in Phoenix with my mom and Phil through Christmas Eve and ending in Forks for another two days starting on Christmas day. Fortunately for me – and this is probably one of the only times I'd associate this with good fortune – it was that time of the month, the real version, which meant that A. I would be done with it by the time we left for Paris and B. we could avoid any situation that involved a horny Edward, an angry Charlie and a gun. I also managed to get some sleep as Edward snuck into my room each night only to hold me.

We stopped back in Chicago for one night to repack for the Paris trip and left on the 28th. I could tell that traveling with Edward abroad would be a whole new experience. Before the trip, I'd heard him making arrangements in fluent French on the phone, and like the Denali trip we sat in first class… but international first class on British Airways had sleeper beds and all the movies you could watch! As I hadn't had a chance to see much of anything this trimester between him and school, I was all prepared to watch as many as I could. I was ready to launch into a second movie after dinner when Edward piped in with his two cents.

"Bella, love, you really should get a little sleep if you can. You'll need to adjust to the time zone difference." He reached into my satchel and got out the sweats and t-shirt I'd brought to change into for the flight. "Why don't you change so that you'll be more comfortable?

"Good idea," I sighed. I put on my first-class slippers and made my way across the dimmed cabin to the restroom with my little toiletry kit. About a minute or two later, I opened the door and there was Edward.

"What are you doing here?" I asked.

He had a wicked gleam in his eye and I caught on immediately. _Oh, no. Mile high club._

He reached for my arm that was holding the door open and gently started walking me backward following me in. Suddenly, we heard a voice.

"Sir, that isn't appropriate. I suggest that you and your companion go back to your seats."

Edward's eyes met mine and he raised an eyebrow. With a smirk on his face, he turned to the flight attendant and worked his best luring voice.

"I think that you must be confused. I think this facility will be out of order for a little while. You'd better put up a sign so that no one tries to use it," he breathed, his face close to the flight attendant. "Oh, and perhaps the passengers would like some water."

I could see a quick glimpse of the blank look on the woman's face. "Yes, I think it is time to pass out the water." She turned away and Edward closed the door. He turned to look at me, his face surprised at the smile on mine.

"What?"

"Very smooth, Obi Wan." I said. Edward chuckled and started coming closer to me. "But, Edward, I know for a fact that mile high has _never_ entered the remote corners of my mind. This isn't one of MY secret fantasies…"

His put his hands on my waist, slipped his fingers in between the waistband of my sweats and my skin and started sliding them down. He leaned in to whisper in my ear, "I know. It's actually one of mine…"

~#~

We arrived in Heathrow and stopped in the British Airways first class lounge as we waited for our next flight. Thankfully, I was able to grab a shower there which helped me wake up and refresh, but only after I convinced Edward that I could handle this on my own. I was used to this: Horny Edward was always a little more so after a week of denial during my cycle.

At first it was a mini shock to hear him giving directions to the taxi driver, and for a few moments I wondered if I was going to get all hot and bothered by hearing my stunning boyfriend speak so elegantly in another language in front of me the whole time here… like Jaime Lee Curtis in "A Fish Called Wanda". I was smirking at the thought of me yelling out "SPEAK IT, SPEAK IT!" with him on top of me, when Edward caught me, a curious look in his eye clearly asking 'what?' I just turned red and looked away. _Nah, the French words alone aren't going to do it for me._

As the taxi drove us into Paris, I realized that I had no idea where we were going to stay. Usually, I was the planner for all of my trips, solo or with friends; I typically had every hotel number, website, and address set up, but Edward wanted to surprise me, so I went into it blindly.

So I was very surprised when we pulled up in a neighborhood in the 6th arrondissement – an area I knew very well – between the Jardin du Luxembourg and Place St-Sulpice and there was no hotel in sight.

Edward paid the taxi driver, grabbed our bags and headed toward a lovely four-story building on this quiet street.

"Did you rent an apartment for the week?" I asked.

"No, we own this," he said, punching a code into the door console.

At this point I should not have been surprised at this response but I was. "You have an apartment in Paris?"

He held the door open for me. "No, we own the building." He shrugged. "Real estate is a good investment, and it is just easier." He started walking up the stairs.

"Easier for what?" I asked, following him.

As we hit the top of the first landing, one of the doors flew open and a large hulking form suddenly ghosted to my side. "Hey Bella!" Emmett's booming voice called out.

"Gah!" I yelled, jumping back and grasping the banister.

"Easier for them," Edward said. "Hotels don't take too kindly to having Rosalie and Emmett destroying their furniture."

"Surprise!" Emmett said, giving me one of his bear hugs. Rosalie followed him into the hallway to greet me, a smile lighting up her beautiful face. "Hey, Bad-Ass Bella… how was your trip?"

"Um, good," I said. I recovered. "Well, hi!" I looked at Edward, shock clearly registering on my face. He chuckled. "They really wanted to see you. We thought it would be fun to hang together for the week."

"Is everyone here?"

"No," a little musical voice came from the landing above. Alice. "Carlisle and Esme went to visit some friends in Ireland. Jazz and I have the second floor."

Edward continued walking up the stairs with our bags. I looked at Emmett and Rosalie and said, "Well, I guess we'll be catching up shortly…"

"Nah, not too soon. Rose and I have some walls to break right now," Emmett said, nudging me.

"That's why we have them on the first floor… so that our ceilings aren't crumbling on top of us with their apartment rattling," Edward said from the landing above me.

"Anyway, I'm sure Edward wants to break in your apartment." Emmett said, wiggling his eyebrows at me. _Oh, joy, sunburn in December._

Alice was bouncing up and down when I reached the second floor landing. "Oh Bella, I am going to take you shopping. You can't beat Paris for shoes, bags or lingerie."

"Alice, you send me lingerie all of the time!" I said.

"Yes, but you need more the way Edward keeps destroying them."

I closed my eyes and felt my face turning redder. _NO family secrets._

Jasper came out into the hallway with a small smile on his face. "Nice to see you Bella." Glancing at Edward, he grabbed Alice's hand and said, "Uh, Alice, why don't we leave them alone to relax for a while."

"Actually," Alice said, looking at Edward, "I need a quick moment with Edward before they settle in too much. Why don't you let Bella in upstairs and then come back down for a minute?"

Edward's brow furrowed and he nodded.

"Okay, Bella," Alice said, "we'll plan on shopping bright and early tomorrow. Maybe we'll see you later!"

"Maybe you won't!" Emmett's booming voice came from the apartment below as he slammed the door.

Edward chuckled and kept walking up the stairs. I followed him to the 3rd floor apartment. I heard a click as the door unlocked and opened. He put the bags inside the doorway and then ghosted to me, picking me up and carrying me in.

I laughed as I watched the door close behind us. He put me down and touched my face gently. "Welcome to Paris," he said.

"So much for a quiet romantic week alone," I said, pointing toward the floor. "I'm glad I brought my iPod again."

"Oh, that won't be necessary… this is my regular apartment." He moved in closer to me, walking me backward until my back was against the wall. Pressing his whole body into mine, he kissed me and then moved to whisper in my ear, "It is insulated... soundproof..."

"Thank you," I breathed, laughing.

He moved away from me and gestured around the apartment. "It is nice-sized for Paris but nothing extravagant. Go ahead and get settled in while I go talk to Alice." He turned and left the apartment.

I looked around at the nicely furnished rooms and then decided to take the opportunity to shower again. The shower in Heathrow, nice as it was, couldn't compare to a hot shower in the privacy of one's apartment. I stepped in quickly to wash away the airplane and taxi grime and instantly felt human again. Toweling off, I redressed with fresh underwear and casual clothes.

I walked into the bedroom and saw Edward standing by the window looking through the translucent curtains. I sat down on the bed and looking at his silhouette with the light from the window around him.

He pulled off his shirt and tossed it on a chair on the corner. And then he kicked off his shoes. He continued to look out the window, while I stared at his lean muscular back. The sight of him in any state of undress was always beautiful.

"What did Alice want? Is everything okay?" I asked.

He turned around to look at me. His lips curved up into a small smile and he nodded. Then his eyes looked at my face and then up and down my body. I felt the hem of my top starting to rise up my belly. _Ah, Jedi disrobing…in Paris, no less. _He knew what that did to me. What can I say: Edward had his odd fantasies and I had mine.

I closed my eyes and lifted my arms to help the shirt in its path off of me. I stood up slowly and looked back up at him. The zipper of my pants started to come down. I kept my arms away from my body as I felt the pants slowly slipping down off of me. Stepping out of those, I continued to look at him as I stood dressed only in an Alice ensemble. Then I turned away, closing my eyes and listening, hyper aware of the electricity in the room. I heard a zipper and the movement of fabric from where he stood and I felt warmth shooting through my whole body.

I knew I wouldn't hear him move, so I waited. When I felt his breath on my neck, I whirled around and pulled him down on the bed on top of me. I wrapped my legs around his. "I love you, Edward," I said quietly.

His lips found mine and then he moaned as my hand dared to slip into his boxer briefs. He uttered a low growl as my fingers gently stroked him. He went to remove the last barrier of his clothes and mine, and then slowly crawled back up my body to look into my eyes, his face full of longing, waiting for me to say it.

I moved my mouth toward his and flicked my tongue across his lip to enter his partially open mouth. My tongue searched for and found its goal as it ran over his growing fangs. And suddenly I wanted him now... I wanted it now. I pulled back and nodded. "Please, Edward."

He whispered, "Bella, Je t'adore," and then with one swift movement I felt him in every pore of my body as his mouth came down on my neck and he was inside of me.

It was our first afternoon in Paris. We didn't leave the apartment until late the next morning.

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**A/N: Ah, the bite... Thanks for reading so far. Please leave a review.**

_Post A/N: Paris is for you and your friends, selina972. I apologize in advance for any mistakes I make about Paris or the French language. I've only been An American Human in France. LOL._


	14. Secret Service

**Disclaimer: The characters of Twilight are owned by Stephenie Meyer. The content, ideas and intellectual property of this story and the 'American Vampire Series' in its entirety are owned by Just4ALE.  
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Chapter 14: Secret Service**

**BPOV**

Between my work and leisure travels, I had had the opportunity to visit some fun and interesting cities around the world over the past four years. Internationally, Paris was my favorite.

Whenever I traveled, I tried to learn a few phrases in the local language so that I didn't appear to be the ugly American, even if it only meant that I knew how to say hello, goodbye, please, thank you and where is the bathroom. Therefore, despite the fact that my French was très horrible, particularly since I'd never studied it in school, I always managed to get by just fine in Paris. Of course this being a worldly cosmopolitan city, most of the people with whom I interacted spoke English… and they thankfully switched to it quickly as soon as they heard me ruining their beautiful language.

I had spent a several weeks in Paris over the years. I had a great working knowledge of the layout and the Metro system and I had figured out my favorite spots to go. Moreover, I had no need to do all of the normal touristy sightseeing since I'd done so much of it before. So the week was spent just hanging with the Cullens having fun.

Alice and Rosalie took me shoe shopping the very next day and they insisted that I get this beautiful pair of Robert Clergerie heels that I have to say would make my legs look awesome if I ever dared to wear a dress. Then they dragged me lingerie shopping and bought me even scarier and skimpier items than Alice had purchased previously. In fact, they bought me two sets of each item because Alice said one set wouldn't last past this week. There was no arguing with her and she was right: they didn't… particularly when Edward made me wear the new heels to model the undergarments.

Although they too liked to avoid the touristy things, they insisted on going to a show at the Moulin Rouge, which was 1. NOTHING like the movie, and 2. very topless. Emmett enjoyed teasing me non-stop the whole way home about the perma-flush I'd had on my face throughout the show, and given the shopping I'd done with Rose and Alice and the even more risqué items they'd purchased for themselves, I knew that Emmett and Jasper each were going to get a show of their own when we got home. _Thank God for soundproofing._

There were only two semi-touristy things I did want to do when I was here. Edward and I spent an entire morning at the Musée d'Orsay; I loved everything about this museum from its wonderful architecture and layout to the amazing impressionist artwork inside. I made them come see la Tour Eiffel with me one night; like most Parisians, the Cullens found the light show vulgar, but I couldn't help myself… I loved it. It was sparkly and shiny.

Rather than spend New Year's Eve with the crowd on the Champs-Élysées, we opted to hang out at Sacré-Coeur Cathedral plaza in Montmartre. On that high hill, we could take in a view of a lot of the city's activities and fireworks. And at midnight, I got to ring in the New Year with my love as he held me close to kiss me.

Given the family diet, Edward alternated between making dinner for me and ordering from some of the city's best restaurants while they dined with me. In Denali, I got used to seeing them drink cordials filled with blood, as I didn't want them to have to hide their actions from me. Edward did manage to swing a dinner out one night for me at L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon, a relatively new hot spot in town. Their small plates were great for tasting and sharing, and Edward could pretend he was sampling mine while we drank some wonderful Bordeaux.

One of my favorite things to do in Paris was just walk. Anywhere. Explore. Look at people, buildings, parks. Amble along the Seine river. Whenever I was in Paris, even if I was with friends, I usually would take an hour or two each day to be on my own; I could freely wander aimlessly, never worrying that I was boring my companion or making them wait for me. On this trip, however, it became obvious very quickly that wasn't going to happen.

Whenever I said that I was going to go for a walk or out to get a baguette or postcards, someone would jump up and decide they'd come with me, and as much as I loved spending time with each of them, I was starting to get anxious. I loved mental alone time… and I wasn't getting any outside of the apartment. Finally reaching my breaking point on our fifth morning there, I exploded at Edward. Well, I nicely exploded because I wanted to get through this conversation without losing another pair of Parisian underwear.

"Okay, WHAT is the deal with all of you?" I asked.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"Why the entourage every time I decide to go out?"

"You don't enjoy the company?"

"Come on, you know I love them… but I don't have a minute by myself. I've been to Paris before and I won't get lost. I have the feeling that you're all playing babysit the human…" I complained.

Edward's eyes flashed briefly and I realized I hit a chord.

"Edward, what aren't you telling me?" I asked.

"Nothing," he said quickly.

"Hey, don't lie to me. You're hiding something. Out with it."

He was quiet for a moment before he spoke. "Right before we left, Alice had a vision about the trip. I would have canceled it but you were so excited about going. So they decided to come along, just as an added security measure.

"What was the vision? What kind of danger am I in such that it requires five bodyguards? "

"It was unclear, except that it involved you attracting the wrong kind of attention. Then when we arrived, Alice told me she'd had a new vision and while it was still fuzzy, she got a glimpse of a female vampire with red hair… and you."

"Not a civilized one? Won't the mark work?"

"We're not sure, but even civilized Parisian vampires will be a bit different; all vampires are influenced by their cultural heritage and the era in which they lived while human. The history of this city means we may find some mix of old school, in addition to civilized and nomadic, and every city has its own 'rules.'"

"Okay, but if they're old school, then I should be safe going out in the day, no?"

"Bella, her vision wasn't clear…"

"Which means that you might be overdoing it, right? Isn't that possible? Alice will alert you if a course I plan to take leads me to danger, won't she?"

"Generally…"

"Oh, come on! Just a quick trip over to Rue de Buci? I love the shops over that way and I'd really like some hot chocolate from PAUL. That's not too far away: it's just on the other side of Blvd St-Germain. I just need a little alone time."

"I'd prefer that you not."

"I didn't come here to be trapped!" I said, angrily.

"You didn't come here to be killed!" he yelled back.

I shrunk back at that statement. His eyes widened when he realized what he'd said and he saw my reaction. He ghosted to me, sitting me down on his lap on the couch.

"Was her vision that extreme?" I asked.

"Bella, any vampire could be a danger to you. That is just a fact." He kissed my forehead and took a deep breath. "Let's have a compromise, okay love? Maybe you're right. Alice should be able to give us some warning. You can go out for a walk on your own, but one or two of us will follow you…"

"Edward…"

"… at a distance. You'll get to wander around and we'll hang back and let you be. We'll just trail you. That's my offer: take it or leave it." He smirked. He knew that I had to take it because sneaking out wasn't an option with the little oracle downstairs.

"Great, my very own Secret Service," I muttered. Then I sighed. "Okay, keep your distance… and please let them know it isn't personal. I just need a little head space… an hour or two in the morning and I'll be good as new for the day."

And so I finally got to wander around my favorite neighborhood - the 6th. I made my way over to PAUL immediately and ordered my usual breakfast, which included a demi-baguette and their super rich hot chocolate. I sat happily listening to people ordering pastries at the counter behind me and the sound of spoons clinking in their coffee cups and knives being put down after buttering their bread. I put my iPod on and walked along the Seine, choreographing a new ice skating routine in my head to Children of Sanchez while the cold winter wind whipped at my face. Then I wandered back past the art and antique shops, stopping for a moment or two just to admire the items I could see in the windows. Rosalie and Emmett were very patient with me and kept their distance; I only noticed them twice. I was so grateful for this time, I even managed to be friendly to people, saying 'bon jour!' to anyone who met my glance. A man leaning in the doorway of one of the antique shops laughed at my happy expression.

The next day, I decide to do a similar walk wandering around the Latin Quarter instead and I never ran into any trouble. I asked Alice if there was any change in her vision, but she seemed frustrated by the lack of clarity on this. I started to think that any vampire who might have been interested probably saw my bodyguards stalking me and left me alone. In any case, our time in Paris was coming to a close as we were leaving in two days.

On our next to last day, Edward decided to make me breakfast in bed that morning, so there was no need to go out to eat, but I wandered back down Rue de Buci anyway to say goodbye to the interesting food product shops I was so fond of looking at. As it was colder that morning, I decided to stop in PAUL anyway, got a coffee to go, and then continued walking.

After the stroll along the Seine, I walked once again past the antique shops. When I had been here two days before, a small thought had floated through my head. I wanted to get Edward a present… a belated Christmas gift, and the antique shops seemed like an interesting place to look. If Jasper and Emmett kept their distance, I'd be able to buy him the gift without having them see it and then tipping Edward off by their thoughts.

As I was peering in the displays of different book, art and antique stores, I heard a voice speaking English with a slight French accent next to me.

"What is it you seek?" he asked.

I looked up and realized that the man looked familiar.

"Pardon?"

"I work on this street. I noticed you walking the other day looking at the shops. I am familiar with what items are sold where… I thought that you might need help finding what you seek."

Suddenly, I realized why he looked familiar: he was the man who laughed at my happiness on my first day of freedom.

"I don't know. I was looking for a present for my boyfriend but I'm not sure what. I figured I'd know it if I saw it. Maybe an antique pen or a nice leather journal… but nothing too pricey; I'm a student living on a budget."

"Ah, I know just the place. I represent the owner."

"Represent?"

"I am a collector for the owner. I seek interesting items and bring them back for approval. The shop is right down this block. Would you be interested in seeing it?"

I tried to detect something odd about this man but I couldn't find anything: my spidey sense was not giving off any warnings. If he was a vampire, he would have worked the luring voice and his movements would have been different. He certainly wasn't a red headed female. He was just an ordinary, olive-skinned dark haired Parisian. Besides, I knew Emmett and Jasper were near and that Alice would call them if she saw anything, so I wasn't in any danger. "Sure," I said.

As we walked briskly, he leaned in a little toward me and whispered, "Are you aware that you are being followed?

I froze and looked around for signs of the red-head. I saw nothing but Jazz and Em standing far down the street on the corner on Quai Malaquais.

"Are you sure?" I asked.

He got out some keys to his shop and said, "Yes, two men down the street."

I laughed. "Oh, those are just my boyfriend's brothers. He is a little overprotective but I asked them to give me space."

"Ah, your boyfriend keeps an eye on you?"

"He doesn't want me to get lost," I said shaking my head.

He looked at me curiously and led me into the store. He turned on some lights and gestured at a counter with some beautiful antique pens. He went to remove his coat and set it down in back. I heard him say something in a low voice to someone in the office behind the door.

"Oh, one of these might be perfect. Do you have anything, say, from the early 1900s?"

He brought out the pens and placed them on the counter for me to examine more closely.

"Does he have an affinity for the early 1900s, this boyfriend? Or should I call him… master?"

I looked up at him suddenly, surprised. "Excuse me?"

Then a childlike yet velvety voice came from behind him. "I can take it from here, Laurent." _Uh oh, I recognize that seductive tone._

He stepped aside, allowing me to take in the view of the woman gliding up behind him. I stifled a gasp.

She stared at me, smiling. "Hello, I am Victoria, the owner of this shop," she said in her French accent.

_Red-headed vampire at twelve-o'clock._

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**A/N: Ruh roh. Vampire magnet. Thanks for reading so far. Please leave a review.**


	15. Vampire Magnet, Part Deux

**Disclaimer: The characters of Twilight are owned by Stephenie Meyer. The content, ideas and intellectual property of this story and the 'American Vampire Series' in its entirety are owned by Just4ALE.  
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Chapter 15: Vampire Magnet, Part Deux**

**EPOV**

I was uneasy at first when Bella asked for alone time. I hadn't wanted to come to Paris when Alice first had the vision, but Bella was so excited I couldn't disappoint her, particularly after our Ward conversation. And over the past few days, I could tell that she was going a little stir crazy. Being the introvert that she was, spending time around my family was a bit draining on her – no pun intended. Not that she didn't love them... it was clear that she did. But observing her as I had over the past year, I'd witnessed her need for mental space: her walks to school, her seat choices in classrooms, even Karate, which afforded her the chance to stay in her own head and recharge her batteries after being forced to interact with others all day.

After deciding to send our vampire Secret Service after Bella, I worried less about her safety, and Bella was correct: Alice should have been able to foresee any issues. So it was a bit of a surprise when Alice burst into our apartment as I was packing for our trip home the next morning.

"Bella?" she called out.

"Alice, she's out walking. You know that. Jazz and Em are with her."

Alice's eyes were varying between confused and unfocused. I grabbed her by the shoulders. The images I was getting from her mind were fuzzy. "Alice! What are you seeing?"

"Nothing! That's the problem. One minute Bella was there and the next she disappeared!"

My heart dropped in my stomach. I leaped for my cell phone and dialed Jasper.

"Edward?" he answered.

"Jasper," I growled, "did you lose Bella?"

"No, she's right down the street."

Now I was confused. "Do you see her?"

"She's going into a shop with some man…"

"What man? Vampire?"

"No, just a guy. She seems to know him. Not a whiff of vampire from him."

I took the phone from my ear and spoke to Alice. "Jasper says she's fine."

"Then why can't I see her?" She took the phone from me. "Jazz, where are you?" She listened. "Okay, we'll be right there. Go after her Jasper!"

Alice and I raced down the stairs. Rosalie, having heard the commotion, ran out of her apartment and followed. Unfortunately, we had to run like humans, so it took an excruciatingly long time to get there… although no human could have made it more quickly. We arrived at the street that Jasper had mentioned to Alice, but neither he nor Emmett were in sight. However, we picked up their scent and soon after heard their voices. We were on the right street.

"You let go of her!" Emmett's voice snarled. "She's marked. She belongs to someone else!"

A youngish female voice purred. "Ha! No one lets their pet roam the street alone, nor do they allow them to speak to strange men."

We located the store they had entered. I could see through the window that the red-headed woman had Bella by the arm, gripping her tightly. Two other vampires were flanking her, carefully watching Jasper and Emmett, whose backs were to the front door. Behind the counter was a man. A human… and yet, not quite. I could feel from here that the room was tense, but there was an eerie calm around it. Jasper was manipulating the tensions.

It was going to take some Oscar-caliber acting on my part to get Bella out of this.

I walked in, followed by Alice and Rosalie. "Our ways are different, but the mark still holds." I stepped in front of Jasper and Emmett. "Elle m'appartient."

Bella's head snapped up and her eyes were big. A small sign of relief flashed over her face immediately as her eyes met mine.

"Vous êtes à Paris. You know how it is… you abide by local customs…" the red-head hissed.

"I was not aware that Parisian manners had slipped so much as to not respect the mark. She is mine." I pointed at the man in the corner. I heard the woman say his name in her head. "Laurent is not an ordinary man." Other images and thoughts flew through her head, which were surprising. I looked over at him. "Ah, a half-breed… and you're a fisherman. Interesting." I nodded at Alice and said loudly, "This might explain the vision you just had of Bella."

"Half-breed?" Alice asked. "Half-vampire?"

"Yes, apparently so."

I picked up the woman's name from the others in the room: Victoria. Her eyes went wide, taking us all in. "Clearly you are a powerful coven with many talents, but your talents do not scare us." She squeezed Bella's arm and Bella winced. Then she pushed Bella's head to one side pointing at the bite mark from our first day here. "This mark is days old. You are not draining her enough. And you let her out alone? De toute évidence tu l'abandonnes."

Mentally, I sent a wave that shoved the two vampires flanking her across the room. At the same time, I twisted Victoria's arm. She released Bella at once. The two guards got up and started to charge, but Victoria stopped them. "Arretez!"

"I have not abandoned her, _Victoria_," I said steadily, staring her down. Then I looked into Bella's eyes, willing her to catch on. Using my luring voice, I held out my hand and called to her. "Bella, come to me now, my pet."

She walked forward slowly, her eyes never leaving mine. She put her hand in mine and stood directly in front of me. Bella's head blocked the other vampires from seeing my face as I looked down at her. I let my anguish show in that brief moment and her eyes were bewildered taking in my expression. I squeezed her hand, hoping she'd understand.

And then I smacked her across her face… as gently as I could, but hard enough to make it look real... and to hurt.

She cried out and then, holding her cheek with her hand, she looked back up at me with tears forming in her eyes. She nodded slightly, acknowledging the action.

"I'll deal with you at home," I snarled at her. I gave her hand to Alice and said, "Take her now." Alice and Rosalie nodded and exited the shop, pulling Bella with them in a rough manner.

The two guards started to charge and I sent them flying again. I could feel Jasper sending calming waves toward them, leading them to sit up in their positions but not move.

Victoria's eyes were wide. "A powerful coven, indeed. See to it that you control your pet from now on or next time we will take her."

"ELLE M'APPARTIENT!" I roared. "You WILL respect the mark, whether or not I am with her!" I said, stepping close to Victoria to look her in the eyes.

As I turned away, I mentally shattered all of the glass cabinets in the store. Laurent cowered on the floor, ducking from the shards that were flying everywhere.

I took out a few hundred Euro and threw them down on a chair by the door. "For your repairs," I said, walking out with Jasper and Emmett right behind me.

~#~

Jasper could feel my despair as we ran back to the apartment. _Edward, you did well back there. No one could have put on a better show._

"My God, I hit Bella! That is unforgivable."

"Edward, don't beat yourself up," Emmett said. "I saw Bella's face afterward. She knew what you were doing. It was the only way to make them back off. Had we fought them, Bella could have easily been caught in the carnage."

I stopped running and leaned on the one of the buildings we were passing. "I put her in danger. I should leave her to have a normal life!"

Jasper put his hand on my shoulder. "Edward, it would never work at this point. It would kill you to leave her, and with your mark on her, she'd look abandoned."_ You know she's a vampire magnet. It would only be a matter of time._

Emmett spoke quietly. "Bella loves you. I think your leaving her would destroy her as well."

"She'd get over it."

Jasper shook his head. "I don't think so, Edward. Alice told me that Bella is constant. She's as bonded to you as you are to her."

Emmett's next thought shocked me. _Maybe you should just turn her. This way she won't be in danger any more._

"I can't ask her for that!" I spat.

"But don't you want it?"

I put my head down and whispered, "With all of my heart."

_Does she want it?_

"I don't know."

Jasper tapped me on the back, indicating we should get moving. He knew what Emmett had asked about. _Edward, I think you should find out fairly soon… Let's get back._

~#~

Alice and Rosalie met us at the door inside of our apartment building.

"Bella…?" I asked.

"She's fine," Rosalie said. "She knows what that was about, Edward."

I looked away. "Alice, that man, Laurent, the half-breed… was that what blocked the vision?"

"I don't know… it could be," Alice answered. "Edward, look at me." I couldn't meet her gaze. "She really is fine. She knew that Jasper and Emmett would be there for her and that you would come, but I think you need to fill her in on the broader code so that she knows what to say in any future encounters…"

My head snapped up. "Future encounters?"

"...and you should tell her about James," she said quietly.

I froze. "Did you see him?"

She nodded. "He's making his way back to the States and he's going to San Francisco. That's all I see, but I'm don't trust my visions too much right now. In any case, make sure she knows what to look for so she's prepared."

I nodded and started to walk up the stairs.

_And Edward?_ I paused, listening. _I agree with Jazz and Em. You can't leave her. It would be the worst thing in the world for both of you. You're happier together and she's safe with you… despite what you might think._

"Thank you Alice," I whispered. "I don't think I could leave her even if I tried."

I made it into the apartment and heard movement in the bedroom. Bella was packing up. She ran to me when I entered, and she hugged me.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

"Me? I can't believe you're worried about me!"

"Edward, I'm sorry. I... I just wanted to buy something for you and he didn't appear to be a threat. I didn't know there was such thing as half-vampire… you said there wasn't."

"I didn't know either. But Bella, I'm the one who should be sorry. I put you in danger once again. I hate that I could be the cause of any harm to you."

"I'm okay, Edward. Really…"

"How can you be okay with this?" I couldn't hug her back. I just stood there in her arms.

"I mean, yes, I was scared, but I knew that Jasper and Emmett were close by and that Alice would send help. I knew you would come."

"But what if I hadn't? Bella, I'm nothing but trouble for you time and time again!"

Her eyes narrowed and she exhaled softly. Then she turned away from me and crossed her arms looking out the window. "So you're just going to keep blaming yourself for all of this, huh?"

"Who else is there to blame? Bella, you should be upset that I keep doing this to you."

She spun around, shaking her head in agreement. "You know something, you're right. I should be upset with you. You do know that the fact I was being followed by two vampires made them aware that I was someone's plaything, correct? That was _your_ brilliant idea!"

I stared at her, watching her process through this, watching her getting agitated.

"And then you have the nerve to call me your pet in front of them!" she shouted, walking toward me. "Better yet, you decide to SMACK your pet in front of them. You asshole!" she yelled, shoving me backward. I stepped back and was now flush against the bedroom wall. "How dare you!"

Bella's energy level was rising… and I was rapidly getting distracted. _Shit! How can I be turned on when she's right?_ I tried to calm myself but she was a foot away from me, staring me in the face.

And then she smacked me. _Okay, I didn't see that coming. And shit! That didn't help!_

I looked down at her, shocked; her eyes were closed and her hands were in small fists. Then she opened her eyes, stepped in closer to me, and touched the outside of my pants, finding my growing erection. I gasped and was even more surprised at her face. Her lips were turning up into a smile. "Yeah, I thought this might help distract you," she said softly.

My jaw dropped. "Are you picking a fight with me on purpose?" I asked.

She smirked and raised an eyebrow. "Payback is a bitch, no? I owed you." Her hand was still on my crotch when she pressed her body in closer. "Honestly, it was the only way I could think of to get your mind off of wallowing in guilt," she said quietly. She removed her hand, tangling both hands in the hair at my nape and pulling me down to kiss her. She pressed her body into mine, her hips grinding into me. She was driving me wild.

She pulled back away from the kiss and caught her breath. "Edward, no matter what happened, you saved me. I really am okay. I love you and we're together on our last night here." Then she whispered, "Please... just be with me."

She didn't have to ask me twice.

~#~

Later that evening, we hung out with the family in Alice and Jasper's apartment, enjoying our time together. We said our goodbyes the next morning and made our way back to the airport. I was happy to be leaving so that she could finish her last semester at school… but I was also anxious about the longer-term future. Jasper was right: we would have to talk soon.

In the meantime, we had a more immediate conversation that needed to happen. As the dinner was being served, I squeezed her hand and turned her face toward mine.

"Bella, love, I need to talk to you about something… I need to tell you about James."

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**A/N: Thanks for reading so far. Please review.**

_Post A/N: Thank you so much to selina972 for the French translations... I hope I used them properly! It helps to have new FF friends in France..._


	16. Edward's Fantasy

**Disclaimer: The characters of Twilight are owned by Stephenie Meyer. The content, ideas and intellectual property of this story and the 'American Vampire Series' in its entirety are owned by Just4ALE.  
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Chapter 16: Edward's Fantasy**

**EPOV**

As we flew back home, I quietly explained my history with James. All of it. She listened calmly, asking me extremely detailed questions here and there. I described everything about him and then revealed my concern that he would try to continue our old ways. She was silent as she took in the gravity of the situation.

As soon as the seatbelt sign allowed, I moved her to sit with me in my seat, holding her close, afraid to let her away from me for one moment. Every minute she spent with me she was in danger. It was ironic that the bite I put on her to save her life was now a mark that was endangering it.

I was still lost in thought as we got back to my house in Chicago that evening. Bella could see my distress as we sat on my sofa in the living room.

"Edward, please don't dwell on the antique shop. The trip was wonderful and I was safer with you all following me than without. In fact, the mark you put on me the first day actually helped... otherwise they would have thought I'd been abandoned long before. Don't be so sad. You protected me as you have before. You'll keep me safe."

I couldn't say anything. She touched my cheek and I closed my eyes, feeling her warmth against my skin.

"Let's change the subject." Her face got a curious look on it. "So, mile high, huh? That was one of your fantasies?"

Despite my mood, I laughed. She knew exactly what to say to surprise me. "Yes, it was a new one for me, believe it or not."

"What others haven't you mentioned? Go ahead, start talking."

I shook my head. "I have to surprise you."

"Won't you tell me even one of them?" she asked. "I'd like to at least know what other realm of scary we might be getting into."

I stiffened involuntarily. She saw my reaction and her eyes got big.

"What is it? Oh no, it's something really gross, isn't it?" She gasped. "Are you fantasizing about a three-way?"

I laughed again. She was so cute. "Not remotely. Been there, done that."

She did a double-take and her face grimaced. "Really?" Then she shook her head. "Okay, I don't need to know about that right now," she muttered. "Seriously Edward, you must want something. I'm not all that fulfilling, no matter how crazy you are about me."

"I respectfully disagree with that," I said, looking at her sweet face. She was just so beautiful, her eyes full of curiosity, waiting for me to reveal my deep, dark fantasies. Was this the right moment? Sitting in my living room, both of us curled up on the couch?

I gave something away in my facial expression because she reacted immediately.

"There is something. You want something, badly."

I took a deep breath and looked across the room away from her. _Damn it, I should have made up something before now… I shouldn't say anything._ I could feel it getting ready to come out: I had a hard time refusing her and Jasper said we needed to talk soon.

"I don't know what you'll think about it… if you'll find it 'gross'. It might be to you."

She took a deep breath. "Okay," she said. "Just say it."

I couldn't look at her. I ghosted to the other side of the room and turned to the window. I said nothing, thinking of how to tell her.

She spoke, nervousness in her tone, "Edward, please... don't scare..."

I cut her off. "I fantasize about marrying you, Bella. About turning you. About having you stay with me forever. About never having to worry that anyone or anything will take you away from me."

The instant I finished speaking, I became aware of three things:

1. I could hear Bella's heart beating wildly in her chest.

2. There was a huge energy surge behind me.

3. And a small whisper of a voice breezed through my mind. _He really does want me forever..._

I whipped around to look at her. Her eyes were wide gazing at me. I could feel the shock on my own face. Her energy was at an eight and hovering. "Bella," I whispered, "What did you say?"

She snapped out of it and looked confused. "I didn't say anything."

I walked slowly across the room to kneel by the couch where she sat.

"What?" she asked.

"Bella, you were at an eight… and I heard you."

"I don't know what you mean," she said, her brow furrowing.

Her mind had shielded itself off again.

The glimmer of an idea floated through my head and I decided to test my theory. I parted her knees and brought my body in to hug her tightly. I tangled my hands in her hair. Softly I kissed up and down her neck, then moved my mouth to her ear and whispered, "I want you forever, Bella Swan."

Her energy escalated back up to an eight as she inhaled and held it, throwing back her head and closing her eyes. And again, the little voice whispered through my mind: _I love you, Edward._

"I love you too, Bella." She opened her eyes at once and looked at me. Her face showed a small amount of surprise as she registered my response to her thought, just before I crushed my mouth down on hers.

Her energy was overwhelming me and the sudden ability to hear her was like a shot of adrenaline that coursed through my veins. This drew me in more than her anger, even at its most volatile, had before. I wanted her more at that very moment than I ever had before, but we needed to finish this conversation.

Our lips parted and I moved away from her slowly, trying to control myself.

She looked at me and spoke quietly, "Why haven't you said anything before?"

I took her hands in mine and kissed her fingers. I continued looking at them. "I can't ask you for that. I told you that you don't want this life, but I can't help wanting it for myself. That's why it is called a fantasy."

"Huh," she said.

I looked up, wary. "'Huh' from you isn't usually a good thing."

She made a face. "Huh, so you do want to turn me. I've been wondering."

I was surprised. "For how long?"

"A few months."

"Why haven't you said anything?"

"Why haven't you?" she countered. "I've been thinking that you didn't want me in that way."

"Then what have I been doing with you all of this time?"

"Having sex with a human!" she said flippantly.

I was suddenly angry and I growled. "You know it is more than just sex to me!"

She cringed away a little. "I know," she said in a small voice.

I realized that I'd scared her. I reached out to caress her face. "I'm sorry, but there is a lot of information swirling around here right now. Your reaction wasn't what I expected."

She was quiet.

"What are you thinking?" I asked. "You've imploded again."

She looked up at me a little shyly. "Did I hear what I just thought I heard? Um, you voiced your fantasies… but was there a real proposal in there? Or is this like when you hinted we were dating and you hadn't actually asked me on a date?"

I inhaled sharply and held it. "Wait, are you saying you'd consider this?"

"Don't answer my question with a question…"

"Bella…"

"Edward. Answer me. Did you propose or was this just a 'best current thinking' discussion?"

"No, I didn't propose."

Her face fell a little. "Okay."

I grabbed her hands and held them clasped in mine. "I had no idea that a proposal would be a good thing to you."

She closed her eyes and shook her head. "Now you're pissing ME off," she said. "After our conversation about my job location, I would think my feelings were obvious."

"And I would have thought mine were as well… but clearly we're both wandering around in the dark. I'm not proposing because I'd like to do it better than this," I said smiling.

"And I don't need any fanfare, Edward. In fact, aside from the fact that I'm not sure how my parents would deal with me living in sin with you for a long, long time, I don't need or want a wedding."

I could feel the shock register on my face. "Wait, are you saying you want me to turn you?" Then I ghosted to the window.

She fell forward a little and had to catch herself as she lost her balance when I let her go. She blinked. "What just happened?"

I stood motionless, trying to calm myself. "I'm sorry. We should not be having this conversation here at my house. I'm getting a little too excited." I took in a breath and held it, closing my eyes. I willed the tingling in my mouth away. After a very long minute, I was able to speak. "I'm okay."

She sat up straighter and spoke slowly, looking down at her hands. "Edward, I told you in your cabin almost a year ago that I loved you. Somehow, I think you know it despite the fact that I don't gush at you all the time. It's always there, right under the surface. For some reason, I don't have the words to express what I truly feel for you. None of the ordinary words are enough."

"I want to stay with you forever. I want to be yours. As far as turning me goes, I... I just don't want that at this moment. I want to finish school... I want to figure out my first step on what I guess will be a long and varied career with forever on my hands," she said. Then she looked up at me. "But yes, I will want you to turn me."

I ghosted back to her, again kneeling in front of her. I leaned on her knees, gently pushing them apart with my body so that I was between her legs, hugging myself to her.

"Are you sure? I swore I'd never ask you for that."

"You didn't ask… you voiced your wish, but I'm the one who will be asking eventually I think."

I could feel the joy on my face. I pushed back so that I could look into her eyes. "I wouldn't turn you until you're ready, but, I do think we should be married first."

She looked amused and puzzled. "Why? You had no problem taking away my virtue… now I need to be married to you for you to take away my human life?"

"Marriage is meaningless in the vampire world. The bond is what matters, but marriage is an important choice in the human world, and I've fallen in love with a human. I'd like you to make that choice before your life changes in the way that it will… before you're stuck with me permanently," I said, grinning.

She smiled back. "Okay, whatever you say, but I don't need anything fancy: Vegas would work for me."

I nuzzled her neck and ran my lips around her collarbone. "You're not getting married in front of Elvis. You deserve something wonderful and romantic."

"Blech," she said.

I pushed myself off of her again and took her face into my hands. "You may have the rest of them fooled, but not me, Bella. Buried below that hard shell of yours is a soft chocolate center."

Her lips pursed and her eyes narrowed. "Dark chocolate."

I laughed. My heart was dancing. Then I grabbed her and rolled her gently to the floor. I took her two hands and pinned them over her head and leaned in toward her as I straddled her body with my legs.

"Then how's this for lack of fanfare," I said. I moved in slowly, so slowly, shifting my body and staring at her lips the whole way. I leaned in until I had her completely pressed to the floor. I grazed her lips with mine and then moved my mouth down her neck as I mentally unbuttoned her shirt. I ran my tongue across her collarbone and across her bare shoulder and then back up her neck. When I was at her ear, I whispered, "Bella, will you marry me?"

Her eyes closed and I felt her body arch underneath me and another surge of energy when I said it. I inhaled and held my breath, looking at her face. She was at an eight again and I heard her small voice again in my head… _Edward just proposed. I'm floating… I'm actually floating._

I leaned in again, letting go of her hands and reaching to touch her lips with my fingers, my face inches from hers. Her eyes opened. Gazing into her chocolate browns, I said it again, my voice husky, "Marry me, please, Isabella Swan?"

She looked at me, radiating energy, her eyes shining. I heard her small voice again in my head. _Can you hear me Edward?_

I nodded.

_Yes._

~#~

That night, she went up to ten.

And as I heard her voice in my head calling out my name over and over, I did too.

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**A/N: Thanks for reading so far. Please leave a review.**


	17. The Talented Mr James

**Disclaimer: The characters of Twilight are owned by Stephenie Meyer. The content, ideas and intellectual property of this story and the 'American Vampire Series' in its entirety are owned by Just4ALE.  
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Chapter 17: The Talented Mr. James**

**JPOV**

"Flip over, Irina," I said. She complied willingly. _Back door. My favorite._

Tanya rolled off of me and moved to the other side of the bed, sitting up against the headboard, one hand propped behind her head. I got on my knees and moved over to Irina, who was perched on her hands and knees, ready for me.

"Tanya, aren't you going to help her along?" I asked, as I shoved myself into Irina.

She shrugged. "Irina gets off whether or not she has help, James." She stood up, looking rather… bored, it seemed, and left the room.

I continued pounding away at Irina, who just grunted happily. I pulled her up roughly, grabbed her tits and bit her shoulder as I came. She moaned loudly and then pulled away from me, flipped over, shoved me back on the bed and continued to ride me until she came.

"What is Tanya's problem?" I asked, as we lay on the bed after she scrambled off of me.

"I think you remind her too much of Edward," she said lazily, stretching one long leg up toward the ceiling.

I should have, we used to tag team on all our women. Our moves were drastically different, but you knew that once you got one, you were getting the other. He got them warmed up for me.

"So, that should be a fucking good thing, no?"

She laughed and rolled over to look at me. "Not since she met Edward's girl in Denali. Now, she doesn't want to be reminded of him in bed."

"What do you mean?"

Irina rubbed my chest and started moving her hand back down toward my growing erection. _Yeah, I'm constantly hard around beautiful naked women._

She leaned into my ear and whispered in a low tone so that Tanya wouldn't hear. "Edward's Bella gave Tanya a little talking to in Denali last spring."

"Edward's Bella?"

"The human girl he's so infatuated with."

A human? This had to be the same girl from last February. "Is he still with her?"

"Yes. When they were up in Denali, he told Tanya he was bonded to her."

I was shocked. Was he kidding? I know that I was kidding when I mentioned his bonding with her…

"The whole family is quite taken with her. And to tell you the truth, I think Tanya was too."

I did a double take. "Excuse me?"

Irina laughed. "She gave Tanya such a smackdown, she couldn't help but admire the nerve the girl had."

"A human gave Tanya a smackdown," I repeated flatly.

"Oh yes… I think the gist of the conversation was if she came near Edward, Bella would have Edward make her a vampire, she'd kick Tanya's ass, stake her and make her watch her have sex with Edward."

_What the fuck?_ My mind was reeling. _A human?_

_She sounds like she's got some cojones on her… Interesting._

~#~

A few years after Edward became a vampire, he left Carlisle and Esme to explore his true nature. He was frustrated at denying what he was. It was then that he met me.

Edward came to San Francisco, running across me taking a snack into an alley. I took him under my wing. He didn't know how to properly stalk a human because he'd only hunted animals up until that point. Under my tutelage, he learned the finer points of luring, stalking and draining such that one left no vampire trace of what had happened to the human. Edward's mind reading abilities helped him feel better about his actions as he decided to select those whose lives were impure and evil.

Edward was also a 17-year old horny stud. I considered myself good-looking, but Edward was undeniably beautiful and the vampires we encountered practically ripped off their clothes the minute they met him. He took full advantage of it… and so did I.

Typically, Edward had his way with them first. He was an interesting lover… he seduced them easily as he could read their minds and desires without the need to bite them, and his relatively gentle touch had them each convinced they were the only one for him, even when there were two women in his bed. I had to give it to him: the man had skills.

After they were warmed up, I came on like the main act. My way was more like the normal vampire hookups… rough and violent. So they got it both ways when they were with us. We were like two halves of the same coin.

In all of the years that we had known each other, I couldn't recall one woman Edward had whom I didn't. Even when he was away on one of his good deed assignments over the years, if I came anywhere near him, I could always find his scent on some vampire and then I'd have her. It became our pact. We shared and shared alike, which was only fair given the fact that I'd taught him so much.

So now Edward had a new young thing. Well then, it was time for a visit. I had to see this woman who had captured his heart and caused the rest of the family to love a human in this way.

It was time to meet Bella.

~#~

This would be tricky. I wanted to see her and what she was like when Edward wasn't around. I wanted to know her true nature without his influence. Humans were so easily manipulated by vampires, that I didn't want to see the typical dazed appearance they got when they were around us. I needed to see what she would be like on her own.

My stalking talents were excellent. I took my time with my prey, getting to understand their patterns, their likes and dislikes. This way, when I approached them, I could say all the appropriate things and predict their reactions.

Human women were fun. They were soft and warm. Their minds were so simple and they gave themselves so easily to me. Getting in there was usually no problem, and they made the perfect date: Sex and a meal all in one. On occasion, I left them alive, but that was a very rare occurrence. If a woman was particularly exciting or tasty, I'd keep them alive for some repeat visits. Eventually, though, I'd finish them off.

Not that I was planning to kill Bella after I fucked her; I was fairly sure that Edward would be quite put out with me if I did that. No, I'd have my way with her and take a taste and be on my merry way.

The trick to stalking Bella was going to be how to do it in a fashion that didn't alert either Edward or his little fortune teller sister. From what I knew of Alice, she'd see me as soon as I planned to make a move. So to some extent, this would have to be a spontaneous decision. I'd have to be ready to jump whenever there was an opportunity, but not plan to do so in advance.

As far as Edward went, I'd have to stay far enough away from Bella such that he didn't pick up my scent. I'd actually have to watch Edward, see how often he wasn't with her and take it from there.

I got back to Chicago, settled in the family home in Evanston for a night and then began the process. I watched Edward for about a week. His pattern was easy enough to peg and I verified his schedule through a few calls. He went to the lab three nights a week after 11pm. He taught classes on Monday and Wednesday and he spent time in his home for much of the day… working on this PhD I presumed. Every night, I'd find Bella with him.

At first sight I thought her plain. Just a generic brown-haired, brown-eyed girl I saw coming out of or going into Edward's home. She was thin, but not unusually so. She was pale with a heart shaped face and full lips. Really, I couldn't see the attraction that would keep him around for this long… or bond him to her – at first.

She was a strange one to stalk. I followed her as she walked to school. She varied her walk each day so that no one would follow her, but clearly she didn't account for yet another vampire in her life. As she walked to school, she rarely looked up and she listened to her iPod. She never sang aloud. I watched with curiosity as she played some song that really enhanced her energy level.

Edward was rarely with her around campus, so I got a good view of her there. I watched her get morning coffee, have breakfast with friends, grab lunch in the student lounge. I watched her go to Karate and noticed subtle changes in her aura when she was done with the class. I watched her interact with classmates. The interesting thing was that NONE of this really helped me figure out her likes and dislikes aside from what she ate.

Oh, I watched her alright, and I quickly learned that her introverted nature would make it difficult to approach her. I'd have to wait until her energy was up or I'd never get in there. I also noticed her quiet demeanor and a general innocence, almost purity about her, despite the fact that Edward was banging her every night.

So after about two weeks of watching them together, I could see the attraction. She was so different from the other humans I'd encountered… but bonded?

Then one night I was there when Edward drove up to his home. She looked at Edward as he took her hand to help her out of his car. He leaned in to kiss her softly and whisper something in her ear and she started to blush. He then closed his car door and stepped in closer to her, effectively pinning her to the car door as he crushed his lips on hers. After they stopped this kiss, they just gazed at each other. She touched his hair and he took a finger and traced it along her collarbone and started to move down her chest, at which point her eyes got big and she looked around at the neighbors' homes as she pushed him back gently. He laughed as he put his arm around her waist and walked her into his home.

I sat on top of a neighbor's house that night. The view from the roof provided the right angle into his bedroom. I watched them as they had sex – no, actually it was more like making love – in his bedroom. Edward had always been a gentle lover, but with her that night he was more caring than I'd ever seen as they sat in the middle of his bed, her hips rocking against his and Edward's hands wandering underneath her t-shirt. His eyes just looked at her adoringly.

As I saw her close her eyes and arch her back with her orgasm, I discovered at least one thing about her. She wasn't into the rough stuff.

I knew that I wanted her.

And I would have her. Soon.

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**A/N: James is NOT a nice guy. Thanks for reading so far. Please leave a review.**


	18. I've Got a Bad Feeling About This

**Disclaimer: The characters of Twilight are owned by Stephenie Meyer. The content, ideas and intellectual property of this story and the 'American Vampire Series' in its entirety are owned by Just4ALE.  
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Chapter 18: I've Got a Bad Feeling About This**

**BPOV**

After Edward's proposal, I started to learn how to let go when we were together even more. That night, I swear that I probably looked like the Luxor hotel in Vegas with a light beaming into the sky from my center. It turns out that all of his attempts to escalate my energy by provoking me were nothing compared to what happened when he unlocked my heart with his promise of forever.

That didn't stop him from having a throw-down with me should he happen to find me fuming about something… but getting me beyond that affected him so much more, especially when he was finally able to hear me, and combined with a bite at my apartment… we shot completely over the moon; I had to make sure I had at least a full day off because I never left his side… we were attached at the hip, literally, for a day.

And so I began my last trimester at school. Because it was coming down to the end and I had some last bit of recruiting to handle and difficult classes to take, Karate became even more important to me. If I could squeeze in double sessions, I did. Weapons training was so great. We had this basic part of one of our katas where you made a forward punch with your right fist and cocked your left back to your hip, only to reverse it, pulling with your right hand and punching with the left. Now we learned how that could apply to the sai, and all of this was done while you were pivoting on one foot so that you could handle an attacker from any side. It worked especially well if you could crouch down to do it because it kept your core low and gave you some stability in the pivot, as well as the leverage to jab and pull.

SIMPLY AWESOME.

Sooo, just when I started settling into the trimester… _Insert theme from Jaws here_.

About a week after the trimester began, I started feeling odd. Throughout my life, every once in a while, I'd would get on edge and feel like something bad was going to happen. I called this my 'feeling of impending doom.' Nothing necessarily happened... it just made me uneasy for a day or two when I felt this way. I was always a worry wort.

Coming out of Karate one night during that first week of school, I still didn't feel better despite the great class I'd just had. I grabbed my stuff and put on my coat and scarf in the training room before I exited the Great Hall. Turning on my phone, I saw that I had a text from Edward.

**Do you want a ride tonight? **

He always asked me that no matter what, even if I had my car with me. Normally, I would say no and just meet him back at the apartment or his home, but tonight I actually wanted a ride because of my 'feeling'.

**Yes, PLEASE,** I texted back. Then I put the phone in my jacket pocket.

"How do you like this class?" I heard as I was walking out of the room into the main lobby. I looked around to see if the voice was speaking to me or to someone else and where it was coming from.

A tall blond guy was moving from the window where he had been peering into the class in my direction. He was looking directly at me.

"I think it's pretty good," I answered, walking toward the stairs to the bathroom.

He continued to walk toward me and came up along side of me. "What is the general philosophy behind the defense?"

I pointed toward the classroom and answered, "The teacher is still in there. He's wearing a red belt. He could explain it better than I."

"But I'd like a student's opinion," he said, undaunted by my continued movement.

"Well I'm relatively new and there are many more seasoned students here who you could speak with…" I said, gesturing to the sea of white all around me. "I'd suggest speaking with any of the black belts."

"Ah," he said in a velvety voice, "but none of them would be as lovely and charming as you."

The tone and words stopped me. _Lovely and charming? Grace Kelly movies._ I paused for a moment and took a better look at him.

Almost six feet tall, blond hair, hazel eyes, chiseled face like a surfer boy. Looks like he's in his late 20s…

"You're James, aren't you," I said, not really questioning.

He cocked his head. "Ah, Edward has spoken of me?"

Edward had more than spoken of him, but I had to be careful not to reveal too much. I proceeded carefully, yet casually and I rethought going downstairs to the bathroom… I didn't want him following me down that dark hallway. Up here, in the middle of the lobby between classrooms, would be a better place. There were cameras all around.

"Yes, he's told me a little about you."

"What has he said?"

"He told me that you've been his friend for a long time. That you were 'roommates' in San Francisco for a while and that you really had fun together."

His eyes flashed knowingly. "Yes, we did have our fun. Well, you're obviously more informed about me than I am about you."

"Well, maybe just a little," I admitted. "But that's understandable. You don't live here so you haven't seen him in a while."

"I think more than a little," he said, his eyes narrowing as if trying to read me. "Clearly enough to have you recognize me in seconds."

"Well," I said truthfully, "he did describe what you looked like, but as I've told him, if you're trying to blend in you need to use updated terms and stay away from lovely and charming. No one describes anyone that way to their face these days. That's what gave you away to me."

"Well how would I describe a young lady who is as elegant and sophisticated as you?"

_Sure. I'm sure I'm looking damn elegant and sophisticated in a boxy Karate gi. _I needed to keep this light and friendly although this flattery was getting on my nerves. I couldn't help the sarcasm in my voice. "Yeah, there you go using those smooth old words again. That," I said pointing to the invisible words floating around us in the air, "will give you away. It would be like me calling you 'swave' and 'deboner.' Not really used in day to day conversation."

He furrowed his brows and then realized what I was saying. He smiled politely, took a step closer to me and said, "I think that you mean 'suave' and 'debonair,'" he corrected, clearly considering me an idiot.

"Yes," I spoke slowly, taking a similar step backward, subtly pushing his idiocy back on him, "I know that."

His eyes flashed what looked like anger and then quickly moved on to humor. "Hmmm, Edward said that you were different. It is nice to meet you at last, Bella." He stepped toward me again. "Would you like to get a drink with me? I would like to get better acquainted with you since I clearly know almost nothing about you. He never mentioned your quick wit and sense of humor."

"When did you last see him?" I asked, knowing full well when it was. I stepped back again.

"I was in town last February… so about a year ago."

"Ah, he couldn't have mentioned this about me because we were really only just getting to know each other then. So he also wouldn't have been able to mention that I'm not much of a drinker."

"One social drink?"

"Does Edward know you're in town?" I asked.

"I called him earlier… I plan on meeting him later tonight."

_Riiight._ Edward would have told me if James was in town since he had been worried about his reappearance. _Liar, liar, pants on fire._ "I'm sure he'll be excited to see you."

"So, how about that drink?" he asked again, leaning toward me.

_Son of a bitch… he's trying to lure me_. His voice was all smooth and silky.

"Did Edward mention that I was a student?" I asked. I stepped back a little and realized I was now against the far wall. No more room to move backward. Luckily I was in sight of the big doors.

He paused. "He may have, I'm not sure."

"Well, I am… I go to school here. Unfortunately, it is a school night for me, which means I have schoolwork to do," emphasizing the word school each time. "However, if you're in town, I'm sure that I'll get a chance to visit with you longer when you come to see Edward."

He was puzzled… his charm wasn't working. "Well then, I can understand that. Would you like me to escort you home? It is dark out, after all."

"That's very nice of you, but that won't be necessary," I said. _Bullshit. There's nothing nice behind that offer._ I needed to hang on to this arrogance I was feeling as it was better than fear. "Unfortunately, though, now that I've been standing talking to you I have gotten a little stiff. I need to stretch a moment. We can talk a bit now while I do that." I moved down the wall a step. _Come on Edward, where are you???_

He smirked at me. "Am I making you nervous?" He stepped in closer to me again. I could tell he hoped I was nervous. Yep, the bastard got off on both fear and lust.

"Not at all… but you're not giving me much room to actually do the stretching. Nor do you seem too interested in my offer to talk now."

He put one hand on the wall, looming over me. He leaned in closer and inhaled. His eyes quickly flashed to my neck and he reached in to move my scarf out of the way for a better look. His eyes were wide for a moment and then they narrowed. It was clear that he was focusing on the scars from my love bites.

It was instinctive… I went to slap his hand away but he was faster. He grabbed my hand and pushed it, holding it near my side against the wall. He was uncomfortably close. Looming vampires clearly knew nothing of personal space.

His eyes got serious as he looked down at me. "Hmmm, looks like quite a bit has changed over the past year. You've been a bad girl, Bella," he hissed in my ear.

At that moment, the door opened. I tried to peer around James to see the door, hoping beyond hope that it was good news.

Noting the direction of my eyes, and perhaps sensing his presence, James's head whipped around toward the door. This movement allowed me to see the door too and to make eye contact with Edward. Edward's eyes were wide as he saw us. Glancing around, he took in the few students milling around... and realized he'd have to act human for the moment. He walked in several fast long strides toward us. James straightened and let go of his grip on my right hand.

"Edward," I said, "Look who I ran into!" I stepped away from James, quickly meeting Edward before he could reach us. I didn't know how openly to greet him. I let him take the lead.

He stopped, looking down into my eyes and caressing the right side of my face. I know my face betrayed more than the usual… I was nervous. Edward's presence calmed me a little.

"Ah, Edward, there you are," James said, looking at me pointedly.

I answered before Edward could. "Oh, when you said you were meeting Edward later, I didn't realize that you would be meeting him here."

From my peripheral vision, I noticed Edward's head cock and he stiffened a little. "Ah, right, usually we meet at my home, no? Did I make a mistake, James?"

James continued to look at me, then shifted his glance to Edward and then at both of us. "I assumed you'd be here so I just thought I'd see you."

"Well, isn't that convenient." Edward said flatly. "You got a chance to meet Bella at last."

"I was telling James that unfortunately, I can't have a drink with him right now, but perhaps another night we can all get together."

Edward continued looking at James. "Yes, it is a school night." He looked back at me. "Let me get you home. James, why don't you meet me at my house shortly?"

"Actually, Edward," I said, "Since James is here, why don't you just go home together? I'll go home on my own." I thought that might be a better plan so that Edward could keep an eye on James.

Edward turned to look at me, his expression pained. He was clearly upset that James had found me. I continued calmly, trying to put him at ease. "I was just telling James that I had gotten a little stiff from standing here with him… this will give me a chance to stretch."

James's eyes narrowed, but then he nodded, bowing a little, "Of course." He looked back at me. "Bella, I so look forward to our next visit."

"Yes, James, it was nice to meet you finally. I look forward to it too. I'll let Edward know when I'm available."

Edward walked me to the heavy wooden doors. I got out my phone and showed it to him. He understood immediately: we'd need to text each other anything relevant with James around. He could hear any whisper of conversation we'd have right here so we had to avoid saying too much.

"Good night, love." he whispered as he bent in to kiss me. His brows furrowed, his face clearly worried about what had transpired.

"Night, Edward. Call me in the morning." I kissed him softly and left the building.

As soon as the doors shut with Edward and James still inside, I bolted and ran the eight long blocks home, praying that Edward's concerns were unfounded…

…but knowing that my feeling of impending doom was, for once, justified.

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**A/N: James is REALLY not a nice guy. Thanks for reading so far. Please review.**


	19. What’s His is Mine

**Disclaimer: The characters of Twilight are owned by Stephenie Meyer. The content, ideas and intellectual property of this story and the 'American Vampire Series' in its entirety are owned by Just4ALE.  
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Chapter 19: What's His is Mine**

**BPOV**

I didn't sleep well that night and my feeling of impending doom didn't ease up when the morning wore on and I still hadn't heard from Edward. He didn't answer his phone nor did he answer my early morning text checking in with him.

Finally, around 11 a.m. I got a text from him:

**Edward: Sorry, been at the lab. Emergency with the project. Come over when you're out of class.**

And then later, as my last class ended at 3 p.m., I turned on the phone and saw that I had two new messages:

**Alice: Weapons training, Bella!**

**Edward: I can't wait to see you, Babe.**

My body instantly went numb. This message wasn't from Edward; he never called me babe unless he wanted to piss me off and he certainly didn't try to piss me off by text. And Alice foresaw that I'd need weapons.

James.

But when Edward and I first talked about what it was like being a vampire and he dispelled the myths for me, one thing was clear: humans didn't have the strength to kill vampires. "We're quite impenetrable. Only a vampire has the strength to actually stake another vampire," he had told me.

I called Alice as I headed to my car.

She answered on the first ring, "Bella?"

"Alice," I choked out, "What's wrong? Where is Edward?"

"Bella, you need to be calm." She paused, "Edward is hurt. You have to help him."

"James…"

"Yes, James is waiting for you." She was silent again.

My heart dropped into my stomach. "Alice, what can I do?"

Her tone was serious. "This will be hard at first, Bella. You must bear through it, but you can do it. You can. You'll be okay."

Her words chilled me to my core. "Can't you tell me more?"

"No, Bella, I can't because that could send this all in the wrong direction. Like the Tanya situation, your instincts and reactions will be the key, but remember what Edward told you about James. And remember your weapons training."

"Alice, I'm scared," I said as the numbness started to wear off. Fear was taking over.

"I know. I wish we could help you, but there was no way for us to get there in time." She paused once more before speaking her last words of encouragement. "We're with you. Edward is too. Go get him, Bella. You can do it."

"Okay," I said in a small voice as I hung up.

So now I was headed to Edward's house, knowing only that something had happened to him and that James was waiting for me. If he'd killed Edward, he could kill me too. I'd cut myself and let his bloodlust takeover. If Edward was alive… I'd do all that I could to save him.

I walked up the stairs and used my keys to enter Edward's home.

_Dear God, please help me._

~#~

"James?" I called out. "Where are you?"

I could hear his snickering from the guest bedroom at the back of the house. "Very clever. I'm here Bella."

I walked slowly, afraid of what horror I might find. _Oh God, please let Edward be okay._

I stepped into the bedroom. James stood facing the window and there in the corner on a chair was Edward. Very much in one piece, and very much immobilized by the stake through his chest.

I gasped. "Edward!" I cried, as I ran to him, but James stepped in the way.

"Why did you do this?" I asked him angrily. "What kind of _'friend'_ are you?"

"The kind who respects a pact." He walked closer to me. "Did Edward tell you everything about our past?" He looked me in the eyes. I nodded.

"Good. So you know. He and I used to share, but Edward seems to have gotten stingy in his old age and he wasn't willing to share you." He looked back at Edward, "But now he will."

James laughed. "You know what's funny? This," he said, gesturing to the three of us, "is actually all your idea… At least that is what I heard from Irina."

I was suddenly numb as I clued in instantly. Irina. Tanya's other 'sister.' I said I'd stake Tanya and make her watch me and Edward, and now James was planning something similar with me.

He circled me slowly. "I've been watching you, Bella. I can see his infatuation with you. I know you're not the little virgin you were before he met you… but you're still an innocent. It is clear in your walk and talk and mannerisms and that is soooo appealing to men."

His voice now came from behind me, close to my ear. "And so the choice is yours, sweetie…"

"What choice?" I asked.

"You can submit to me willingly…"

"Or?"

He was standing in front of me again. "Or I will rip his head off."

I felt my heart stop. I looked at Edward staring at us. I turned once again to James and said, "How could you do this to him? You were his friend! What kind of friend does that?"

"The kind who SHARES, Bella," he said loudly, turning to look at Edward. "That was OUR bond, our code. He broke it. So who cares if I stake him? Who cares if he lives or dies at this point?" he sneered. Then he turned back to me and touched my face.

"Ah, Bella, you see…You do."

He knew how to play this exactly the right way. "How do I know that you'll keep your end of this? That after you've had me you won't kill him anyway?" I asked.

He cocked his head and smirked at me. "You don't."

He was right. I went through the choices I had. A. James was telling the truth. He'd let Edward go if I submitted. B. James was lying. He'd kill him and/or he'd kill me. I had a 50/50 shot.

I had no choice. I would do anything I could to save Edward. He had saved me twice already. I couldn't watch him be ripped apart and I couldn't stand to think of this world without him in it.

I took a deep breath and steeled myself for what I needed to do. I stepped in closer to James, dropping my bag and removing my coat. "Okay," I said quietly.

James started circling me again.

My fear was escalating, my heart beating wildly. I fought it back, knowing that James was one of those who got off on fear. I wouldn't give him the satisfaction. Instead, I concentrated. I closed my eyes. I slowed my breathing. I started flipping through songs in my head, looking for the one that would calm me down. Ironically, the one that immediately came to mind was Woman in Chains, by Tears for Fears, but then I pushed it away. _NO! I will NOT let any song be associated with this horror._

And so the room and my head were silent while James started touching me softly. A finger on my hand. A brush of his hands on my face. His hands on my waist.

He gently walked me backward toward the bed and softly, he sat me down. He ran his fingers up and down my arms, then letting them lightly move up to stroke my collarbone. He moved my hair from my face, pushing it over my shoulder to expose my neck. He leaned in close and ran his nose up and down my neck as he inhaled.

It all felt so foreign. _Dear God, am I going to be able to submit to this? In front of Edward? _

And then as I prayed to God, Alice's words floated through my mind. I remembered what Edward told me about James and I realized what was happening here.

James was being awfully gentle with me. He wasn't ripping my clothes off, he wasn't attacking me. He was going very slowly. I knew from Edward, who had described their escapades in excruciating detail at my request, that James's style was typically more rough, but he wasn't doing that. In fact, he seemed to be mirroring Edward. He wanted me to enjoy this. His sharing fantasy had always been about seeing who the woman wanted more, and somehow the sick bastard thought that by being like Edward, I might get off on this.

And then I had it. His ego. His fucking ego was going to be my salvation. That and weapons training, apparently.

I tapped into my depths, trying to reach into the places I'd recently discovered about myself. I tapped into my anger… furious that he was daring to do this to me. I tapped into my unbreakable bond with Edward. I thought of the night he proposed and the minute I realized he really did want me forever.

I needed to draw James in. I needed to have him distracted enough so that when I took action, he wouldn't be ready for it. And I needed my energy level high enough so that Edward could hear me.

So I tried to pretend that it was Edward. I threw myself away from this nasty scene and imagined all of the times it had been Edward. As we fell to the snow during our first kiss. The night I asked him to seduce me. The weekend in the cabin. The day in the karate studio. The night he asked me to be his.

Then I knew I was above eight. Unbelievable as it first seemed that I could bear through this, I was doing so, and I needed Edward now.

_Do you hear me Edward? I'm going to try to help you and if it ends badly… just know this: I love you with all my heart._ Then I showed him what I hoped to do.

I could feel James being pulled in by my energy. His hands and lips were moving a little faster, but when he started reaching for the waistband of my pants, I knew it was time. There was no way I was going to let his go further willingly.

"Oh, Edward," I moaned.

James stopped. "Edward?"

I opened my eyes. He was kneeling between my legs, his expression surprised.

I propped myself up on my elbows and stared him down. "Yes Edward. Of course, Edward. Did you think I was thinking of YOU?" I asked.

His face stayed frozen in shock and so I took the opportunity to keep going.

"Edward told me ALL about your history together. From what I can tell, you're all about sloppy seconds."

His face was furious and he started to move, clearly on a path to lie on top of me, but my leg got there first; I put my right foot on his chest, holding him back for a moment.

"I'll bet you're wondering now if all the women you were with were actually thinking of him, huh? Could it be they had Edward on their minds too? I mean, if you found out about this from Irina, could it be that Tanya didn't want to be with you anymore since Edward wasn't part of the package?"

James was livid. He moved away from me and stood at the foot of the bed. "Bella, so brave. And so foolish. You're practically begging me to kill him… but not before I take you in front of him. You will be mine."

The thought of James daring to harm Edward any further infuriated me. "Over my dead body," I hissed.

"No, you'll be very much alive for it," he said, smiling. He shrugged. "And then I'll kill you. I will have you Bella, even if I have to strap you down first."

I felt my anger rising and it was keeping my head clear and focused. Like hell he was going to tie me down! I had to keep him distracted. I had to keep my energy up. Words were coming out of my mouth real time and for some reason, they were making sense. I was sitting up now, staring at him. "What about the ones you've slept with without your Edward tag team? Did you have to tie them down in order to get them to sleep with you?"

He roared and then backhanded me in the face. My vision blurred as I saw stars for a moment. Thankfully, I was in motion, moving back on the bed when he did it, so I didn't get the full impact or he could have broken my cheek. It was extremely painful nonetheless.

Then he charged down the hallway, clearly looking for something to use to make good on his promise.

In those few seconds that I had, I looked at Edward. His eyes were still open, staring at all that had just happened. _Edward, if you can hear me. Get ready._

I moved as fast as I could, jumping to where he was... and I desperately hoped that despite the fact that I didn't have the strength to stake a vampire I'd have the strength to pull one out.

I crouched down, and put my right hand on the stake, with my left cocked at my waist. Then, in one motion as we'd practiced time and time again with our sais in training, I did a reverse punch for the leverage, punching forward with my left hand and pulling back with all my force with the right. Then I spun around with the stake in my right hand, hidden behind my leg, blocking Edward from James's view.

I looked up to face James who was ghosting toward me at that very moment, sending me flying against the wall behind Edward's chair. It happened so fast, I almost didn't register the stake being taken out of my hand. I felt pain in my chest where his fist broke a rib.

"Still trying to protect him?" He spat. "You still have a choice Bella. Willingly or tied up?"

I was crazed now and already in pain from the smack and the broken rib. I was either going to live or die at this point, and I had nothing to lose. "Ha! You did force the others. No one would willingly be with you after they've been with Edward. Just ask Tanya."

James smiled as he snapped my wrist. The pain was excruciating and I screamed out, not wanting to know what was next.

Then I saw Edward behind him, and so did James, although a little too late to avoid the stake that suddenly came through his chest.

But not late enough.

James's eyes met mine for one moment before he was rendered immobile, and – registering what was about to happen – he smiled and shoved his body toward mine… driving the stake through me as well, pinning me to the wall. Then his eyes froze over.

And the one thing that floated through my head as the pain took over and my body went into shock was a strange and simple thought:

_Staked, and I'm not even a vampire yet._

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**A/N: Thanks for reading so far. Please review.**

_**(FYI: This wasn't an easy chapter to write as I couldn't stand having Bella molested. But it was necessary given the James/Edward history and for where I want to take the story. Don't be mad at me. I promise you'll be happy eventually.)**_


	20. The Blood That Saves

**Disclaimer: The characters of Twilight are owned by Stephenie Meyer. The content, ideas and intellectual property of this story and the 'American Vampire Series' in its entirety are owned by Just4ALE.  
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Chapter 20: The Blood That Saves**

**EPOV**

There are no words that can accurately express the pure horror that is watching the love of your... existence... being attacked by an old 'friend' as you sit helpless.

No words.

~#~

James's reappearance in Chicago came as a complete surprise to me. Alice's last vision of him had indicated that he was heading to San Francisco. I checked in with her daily, but she had no new information, and she was watching for him.

However, her visions had become spotty lately. First, there was the obvious hole that happened in Paris with the half-breed, Laurent. Now for the past two weeks, her visions were down to a minimum.

Alice, a little over-eager in her excitement, immediately ran off to meet Bella's mother in Arizona and her father in Washington to discuss wedding plans as soon as we had announced our engagement, despite us not having set a date yet. She and Jasper decided to stay for a while in Forks as it was so similar to Denali in late spring time. They'd even begun looking into purchasing a property there in the woods, in case we wanted to vacation close to Bella's dad Charlie.

As it turned out, the Pacific Northwest had its share of nomadic vampires passing through lately. They even ran into my old pals from the pond last year, Demetri and Felix, as they were out hunting in the woods, and the two nomads told them about some odd howling they'd noticed out near the Quileute reservation. As Alice and Jasper typically respected Native American territory and stayed off of it to the extent that they could, they hadn't encountered anything. They had merely been enjoying getting to know the town of Forks, complete with the young son of Charlie's girlfriend Sue, who played local tour guide for them. It seems that Seth developed a little crush on Alice and tried to hang around her as much as possible while they were in town. In the meantime, Alice had a vacation from her visions… including any about James.

Unfortunately, I had been relying on Alice's visions to give me the warning I needed. James had been my teacher long ago... and so he knew how to dance around my talents. James could keep his mind blank when necessary, and he had even, on occasion, fooled me by managing to cover his scent... something a vampire only did if he/she was trying to pull one over on another vampire - not usually done for something innocent. He used to do that as a game between us... and I was out of practice at this game.

So he just showed up at Bella's Karate class that one day and I had no warning. I didn't even want to think about the humans that had suffered to help him modify his scent. Seeing him with Bella meant only one thing: he had been very careful about how close he came to me and it was only a matter of time before he tried to take Bella.

I took James back to my home after leaving Bella and, like old times, we sat having our cordials – A for him, O neg for me. I tried to keep him talking about unimportant things as he told me of his past year of travels. Eventually, he turned the conversation in the direction I'd hope to avoid. I was on edge: James was interrogating me about Bella and our relationship and I was purposely vague. However, it soon became clear that Tanya and Irina had filled him in on the situation.

"I heard about your run in with Tanya. Your Bella sounds like a wildcat," he said. I was silent.

"So, Edward…"

"So what?" I didn't need to ask. I knew what was coming.

"You know what. Share and share alike. That is OUR code."

"That was a long time ago, James."

"It was our pact."

"Ridiculous. That pact was made almost 80 years ago. Bella is with me, James. I'm bonded to her. We're going to be married."

"All the better that I sample her before she's legally yours, no?"

I was furious. "I will not share her, James!" I growled, standing.

My phone buzzed. Text from Alice. I knew that Alice was driving back to Denali that day with Jasper.

**Alice: Edward, watch out! James!**

_A little late, Alice._

Yes, it was definitely a little late. Furious that he dared to think about Bella and distracted by Alice's text, I didn't notice the sudden void in James's thinking. Then I heard his intent at the moment he took action. He was still as good as ever: he'd hidden it very well. I felt a sharp pain in my chest and my body went numb as I fell to the ground. James had ripped off one of the legs of a nearby stool and staked me.

James leaned over my body, his face appearing in front of mine. "Sorry, Edward, but you're mistaken."

~#~

And so I sat in the chair in this guest bedroom watching the situation unfold. Bella was afraid at first and then unnaturally calm. She submitted to him after he threatened my life. He planned to take her in front of me and I was in agony.

I watched her as her energy rose, not from any hormonal response to his touches but from anger and passion. She was doing it on purpose. To get above an eight. To be able to speak to me.

_Do you hear me Edward? _she asked. _I'm going to try to help you. And if it ends badly… just know this: I love you with all of my heart._ And then she visualized her plan of attack. Even under assault she was a Vulcan.

I watched her let him touch her and then she started pushing his buttons trying to distract him.

Then when he went to find something to use to tie her up, she crouched low and did a quick turn as she had practiced time and time again in her weapons class, grabbing for and pulling out the stake with all of her strength as she completed the turn.

As I was able to move again, I managed to get the stake from her hand just before James shoved her against the wall, breaking her bones. I would have ripped him apart at that moment, but Bella was too close and she might have gotten caught in the carnage if I lost control, so I staked him to paralyze him temporarily.

And, in the process, I staked Bella too.

~#~

I threw James aside to deal with him later. My priority was Bella. Her eyes were wide with shock. The stake had pinned her to the wall and she collapsed as soon as I pulled James away. She was bleeding from the hole in her shoulder, thankfully on the right side of her body, away from her heart.

The smell of Bella's blood in the midst of my fury at James was overwhelming. I felt the bloodlust rising throughout my body, threatening to take over: the venom welled in the back of my throat and I was losing control. _NO! After all this, I WILL NOT be the cause of Bella's death!_

So I turned it on James. Within a fraction of a second, I grabbed him and threw him in the hallway and into a different guest room away from her. I tore at him while he was immobilized. The venom would sting him even as he lay still. Then I grabbed him by his hair, looking into his eyes.

"Pact over, my old friend!" I roared. Then I ripped into his neck until it separated from his body.

Willing my anger and bloodlust down with every ounce of control I'd ever had, I ghosted back to Bella. She was laying on the floor, her body shaking as she started to choke up blood.

"Bella! Stay with me!" I held her head up to try to clear her air passages. Her wrist and ribs were broken and I couldn't get the blood to stop gushing. She was going to bleed out in front of me if I didn't act fast.

Once again, I had put her in danger. James never would have seen her had it not been for me, and it was my past with him that put her in this exact situation. That and my selfish need to be with her.

_No! It is not her time!_ She hadn't finished what she wanted to do. I would not allow James to make the choice for her. I would not allow my past and my mistakes to change her future. I could still taste the venom welling up inside my mouth; I was swallowing it down, trying to throw my still hovering fury to the side. I couldn't risk biting her in this state; there was only way at that moment.

Laying her on the floor, I took off my ruined sweater and pressed the fabric into her shoulder to put pressure on the wound and help soak up some of the blood. Then I ghosted to the study, found what I needed and returned instantly. I shoved the left sleeve of my long-sleeved t-shirt up my arm past my elbow and plunged the letter opener I had retrieved from the study into my forearm, slicing it open.

Propping her against me once again, I took some of my blood and dripped it into her wound, then I put my bleeding forearm to her mouth, my blood flowing from the gash. "Bella! You must drink. Please love, drink now. It is the only way!"

She was struggling to breathe and she was panicking. I kept the pressure on her wound, trying to block the blood from flowing and kept my forearm at her mouth.

"BELLA!" I yelled. Her eyes focused suddenly and met mine. "Drink! Do it now!"

She closed her eyes. I pressed my arm tighter to her mouth. I felt her starting to lick the wound, but she was weak and it was difficult for her. She opened her eyes again and stared into mine. Her eyes were wide and full of fear.

"Do it, Love," I whispered. "You must. It will help you now. Please… do it for me. Don't leave me Bella."

She began to swallow in earnest, taking in my blood. I could hear her heart beating faster as my blood entered her system. I could see her energy level start to rise.

Suddenly she stopped swallowing. Her body stopped shaking and her eyes went blank. I pulled my forearm away and stared at her frozen body lying in my lap. My wound closed up immediately. I watched her, willing her to find the strength to come back, keeping pressure on her wound.

It felt like forever as I held her battered and broken body in my arms. Within several minutes, her broken wrist began twitching as it healed. Her chest wound slowly started to close, and when it was completely closed, she gasped and her eyes refocused, looking into mine. Her body was healed.

"Edward?" she croaked, her voice hoarse, "What happened?"

I hugged her close to my chest. "You're safe. You're alive."

"Am I a…"

"No, you're human."

I held her in my arms on the floor, not daring to move. So many hours later, just after midnight, when she was fast asleep, exhausted from the events that had transpired, I took her up to my bedroom and tucked her in.

Then I left the house briefly with the remnants of James in tow. I took him to my research lab, throwing him in the incinerator. James was gone.

~#~

It was at least a month before Bella was able to come back to my house, and it was longer than that before she felt comfortable being physical with me again. I couldn't blame her. She might have been raped had it not gone the way she'd planned. I'd give her all the time she needed.

At first I thought that she would talk about what happened when she was ready, but she never did. She was so silent that I became worried. She went to school, did her homework and attended her team meetings. She continued interviewing for full-time jobs for after graduation. Eventually, she returned to Karate, and each night, she asked me to just hold her. She dreamt of James frequently, sometimes waking herself up in the middle of the night screaming. She was in pieces and I felt helpless.

My family called to check in on her every day. I had nothing to report other than she was alive.

"Has she sought therapy, Edward? It might help," Carlisle suggested one night as I spoke with them on the Batphone.

"What would she say, Carlisle? She can't even be honest. A molestation, possibly a near rape that she never reported? No attacker to point to? Staked, but no wound to show? What can she talk about?"

Alice stepped into view. "Edward, she'll be okay. It was traumatic, but she'll pull through."

"She's not speaking about it, Alice. She says nothing."

Alice was silent for a moment, and then she sighed. "You know for someone so intelligent, you really can be obtuse, Edward. She's wondering why, don't you see?"

"Why what?"

"Why you didn't turn her," she said quietly.

I gasped. She thought I didn't want her that way anymore. I realized that I'd need to have a talk with her immediately.

That night, as I held her close, and she fell victim to her bad dreams once again, I spoke to her quietly, trying to calm her down. "Bella, love," I whispered, pushing the hair from her face, "You're okay. I'm here with you."

She calmed down immediately. "Edward..." she breathed.

"Love, I need to tell you something. You are my world. You are the reason I wandered around this Earth… because every moment was leading me to you." Her eyes closed tighter as if she were registering this thought, taking it into her head. "Bella, I want you forever. Do you hear me?"

She woke up suddenly. Disoriented, she looked around to figure out where she was. "Edward?"

"I'm here."

"You were just in my dream. Were you talking to me?"

"Yes, Love. I'm sorry that I've left you to process this on your own for too long. I thought that you needed time... but I think that you've headed down the wrong path…" I paused and touched her face. "Please, listen to me now: you are my forever, if you'll still have me."

Then she started to cry. I breathed a sigh of relief; it was about time she cracked. She grabbed my shirt and buried her face in it, sobbing uncontrollably. I wrapped her in my arms and held her tightly. We stayed that way for a long time until she fell asleep on my wet clothes.

I was still holding her when the morning light woke her. I caressed her face, moving the hair once again from her eyes. She looked at me steadily for a few minutes and then looked away. Finally, she took a deep breath before she spoke. "Why didn't you turn me?"

I sat up, reached for her right hand and held it in mine.

"I couldn't risk it, Bella. At the time I was so crazed by your blood and my anger at James, I wasn't sure of my ability to control myself. I was being driven by bloodlust and not the eroticism that usually drives my love bites. If I could have resisted draining you at that moment, you would have only felt venom and it would have been horribly painful for you… and that was ONLY if I could have resisted. I finished off James instead, so I could channel the venom and my wild emotions at that time. I would sooner harm myself than do anything that would put you in more danger... and because there was another way to save you, I chose that way."

I put my hand to her cheek. "Bella, I know that what you've been through may have changed your mind, changed your direction, but…"

She sat up. "Stop, Edward. I've told you: I'm constant. This wasn't enough of a disaster to shake my faith in you… in us." She paused for a moment, looking down at her hands. "I just thought…"

"… that because I didn't turn you, I didn't want you." I finished for her. I took my hand and gently put it under her chin, lifting her head up so that she would look at me. "My body will turn to ashes before the day comes that I won't want you. I'll love you forever, Bella Swan, if you'll still have me."

Her energy level escalated. It was at a two. But compared to the black hole she'd been for the past month and a half, it might as well have been a ten… and it was bliss.

"May I have your neck, Bella?"

Her brows furrowed. "Is it that time of the month?"

"No," I laughed. "I want to give you something. Lean toward me." She complied and I reached into my pocket to pull out the pendant and put it around her neck. I held it in my fingers.

"This setting was my real mother's engagement ring. I didn't think it was quite _you_ as a ring, so I had it made into this necklace. I've been carrying it around for a month. I wanted you to have a family heirloom."

She looked down at it. "It is so beautiful. Thank you."

Her energy level rose again and she smiled, one that at last reached her eyes. The worst was behind us. I kissed her softly.

She asked me to make love to her a few nights later. I held her tightly as she slept peacefully that night and I felt the jigsaw that had been Bella for the last several weeks finally come together.

She was whole again.

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**A/N: Thanks so much to those of you who left the comments on the last chapter... I really appreciated it! And thanks again for reading so far. Please leave a review.**


	21. Lemonade

**Disclaimer: The characters of Twilight are owned by Stephenie Meyer. The content, ideas and intellectual property of this story and the 'American Vampire Series' in its entirety are owned by Just4ALE.  
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Chapter 21: Lemonade**

**BPOV**

I wish that I could say that I only remembered the lobotomy... but I remembered it all. James's smell and his hands and his lips on me. Edward immobilized and staring. Broken bones and a huge gaping hole in my body. The oh so sweet taste of Edward's blood as I swallowed it down. And the oddest part of all: a rapid, almost painful tightening of my muscles and bones and skin as my body healed.

And all of these memories raced through my brain surrounded by a general haze. Numb. That is all I felt. Just this numbness for a long time.

It was rough going for that first month or two. I don't know how I made it. I don't remember much of my day-to-day life, to tell you the truth: I guess I was on autopilot. But after Edward gave me the pendant, I awakened from the strange nightmare... remembering that there was still a good - no a wonderful - force in my life looking after me. My bad dreams eventually faded away. I suspected that Edward spoke to me at night, trying to make me feel safe.

I had started B'school in the summer time. I was graduating at the end of the winter trimester and I had three more weeks of class work to make it through. I crammed as much as possible to make sure I would finish successfully.

Somewhere in the haze, I had completed the final interviews with a number of firms and I managed to land three job opportunities which I was still considering. The positions were in San Francisco, Chicago and Boston. Chicago seemed like the one with the least baggage, given Tanya's and Jake's locations, but I had some time to think it over since I didn't plan to start until summer.

I returned to Karate, which I no longer thought of as my valium. It was my savior; it had been my life preserver when I really needed it, and as it always had before, it brought my energy up. I started feeling like my old self…

… except for one strange thing. At first I thought I was losing my mind.

It started simply with beautiful dreams of Edward and me. In my sleep, I recounted the past year and a half with him. Our first encounter outside of Karate when I was just exploring the class. Sitting in the lounge listening to movie soundtracks on my iPod, our heads and bodies close together playing a silly game of "Name that Tune." Sitting in Edward's car listening to my Genesis song and talking. Holding hands as we walked through the woods to get to the pond for the first time.

It was nice to have all of these images floating though my dreams. For too long, all that I had were images of James touching me with Edward stuck like a statue nearby. I wondered if Edward was speaking to me at night, planting a lullaby of beautiful images in my head so that I could rest peacefully. Then I figured that my recent life or death experience was making me appreciate all that I had.

But soon the images became racier. That first night in his bedroom when he seduced me. The first time I went down on him. The first time he made love to me on the floor by the fire in his cabin. The Karate studio in Denali. The hallway. The alcove. The airplane bathroom. His car. They floated through my brain, faster and faster as I slept and sometimes I woke up in the throes of an orgasm, turning red when I saw Edward's bemused expression watching me.

_Jeez, I know that I abstained for that period while I was recovering, but am I really this horny now?_

These images turned me on so much that Edward couldn't help but pounce on me as he saw my energy escalate to five and beyond.

The images continued. Every evening! I was having a hard time concentrating as I tried to do my homework at night. It felt so odd. Something was different about these pictures, but I couldn't place it, until one day I realized that the point of view was off. I was looking at myself in all of these images, watching what was being done to me for the most part, and some of the images weren't even ones that I recognized…

Was this what they called an out-of-body experience? I had no idea.

Then one day, after a particularly good Karate session, Edward picked me up and drove me to his home. As I was drinking the lemonade I had bought after class, I heard a voice coming from somewhere: _Look at her with her tongue on that straw… the way it flicks out before she takes it in her mouth._

I looked around: at the radio, outside of the car, at Edward, and then I looked down at my lemonade. I went to take another sip and noticed my actions. I flicked my tongue out when I went to take a sip... I didn't know that I did that. And then the voice: _Jesus, she's doing it again. Oh shit, that tongue. She's going to be the death of me._

_Holy shit! That's Edward! I can hear him!_

It couldn't be… I had to be going nuts. _Okay, lemme see. _I decided to test this theory.

I looked at him and smiled sweetly. And then I looked back at my lemonade and flicked my tongue out again and ran it around the straw rim before I took another sip. As I was sipping, I looked up at him innocently.

Edward blinked. And then he turned to look ahead at the road. _Christ, what is she trying to do to me? I'm going to have to pull over and jump her if she doesn't cut that out._

I turned away to the window, suppressing a laugh.

Finally he spoke. "Bella, Love," he said huskily, "do you have a lot of schoolwork to do tonight?"

"Um, a bit… but I should be able to get it done in about an hour or two."

"Okay," he said. _Excellent. What's on the agenda… hmmm… I wonder if I can make her angry again... heh heh._

Oh, no, he wouldn't! _No surprises now, Mr. Cullen!_

Once we were in the house, I headed for the bathroom to rinse off my Karate class and Edward followed close behind. I was just at the bathroom door when he stood behind me, gently wrapped his arms around my waist and started kissing my neck. _Fuck, she smells good. I just need to taste her sweat._ His tongue began running across my shoulders. _Ohhh, I want to taste all of her __right now__. Shit! Damn shower… damn school work!_

_Man! _Who knew that Edward thought like this? Besides him, I mean…

As his hands started moving upward toward my breasts, I felt one of those waves shooting through me… which came to a screeching stop when I heard another oddity float through my brain: _We will do it on the tile, I will take her, make her smile. We will do it on the floor, I will bang her against the door…_

_WHAT. THE. HELL. Where are we, in Whoville?_

Suddenly, I had another vivid image of what he wanted to do to me. And what an image! Holy cow, I didn't think I could bend like that if I tried.

I covered my mouth to suppress a giggle as I turned bright red. I looked at us in the mirror above the bathroom sink and his eyes met mine. He was still kissing my neck.

"What?" he asked.

I couldn't stop smiling. "Yo, Dr. Seuss! I'm flexible but I'm not Gumby!"

He paused, his eyes confused. "What do you mean?"

_This is going to be fun._ I turned to face him and went to take another sip of the lemonade that I still had in my hand. I looked down at the drink and this time I let my tongue start lower down the straw and lick upward toward the rim. Then I covered the straw with my mouth, taking in more of it and then easing back up toward the tip before taking another sip and looking up at him.

He stared at my mouth slack-jawed. _Fuck me._

"Let me shower first and then we'll get to that," I said, grinning like the Cheshire cat. Then I closed the door in his face.

I turned on the water in the shower, stripped down quickly while it warmed up, and then jumped in. _My God, I'm so turned on right now! I can hear Edward and his crazy dirty thoughts, but he can't hear me yet… this is awesome!_

I saw him enter the bathroom and I heard his thoughts before he spoke them. He was piecing this together and it was shocking him.

"Yes, Edward," I said.

"Yes, what?" he asked warily.

I turned off the shower, grabbed a towel and wrapped it around me. Then I stepped out onto the bathmat, came close to him and whispered in his ear, "I have done it in Edward's home. Take me, take me, make me moan." _Home – moan, close enough… Damn it, Jim, I'm a B'school student, not a poetry major… ha, ha, I crack myself up…_

Edward's eyes opened wide. _NO! HOLY SHIT, she can hear me!_

"Yes I can," I said, walking past him. "Edward, you have a very dirty inner monologue… You're not quite the gentleman vampire that you once were, mister..."

"Bella, your energy level…" he whispered. _Jesus, she's at a six and rising fast._

_I'll bet. _I started walking up the stairs and stopped midway, looking down at him, smirking. "Awesome superpower, this mind reading thing. I think I'm going to like it."

And then I continued up the stairs.

~#~

**EPOV**

_NO! HOLY SHIT, she can hear me!_

"Yes I can," she said, as her warm wet body walked by me. "Edward, you have a very dirty inner monologue," she continued as she kept walking. "You're not quite the gentleman vampire that you once were, mister..." No shit: that guy left the building a year ago.

The heat from the shower only served to warm and magnify the scent of her blood. She was at a six and rising. She could hear my thoughts, but her mind was still silent to me.

My blood must have done this to her. It was the only explanation I could think of at that moment. Some random combination of my blood and her control. I'd have to ask Carlisle what he thought…

I ran up after her and threw her over my shoulder. Ghosting to my bedroom, I dropped her on my bed and then crawled so that I was hovering over her on my hands and knees. She looked up at me.

_Bella, can you hear me?_

"Yup," she said, smiling.

I visualized what I planned to do to her for the next several hours. Her eyes closed, her back arched and she inhaled sharply, biting her lip. I watched her energy go up another notch. I just grinned. _Am I turning you on, Bella?_

She opened her eyes and grabbed me roughly, pulling off my shirt. She was at an eight now.

_Edward, you have NO idea,_ I heard her say in my mind.

_Oh, Bella, love of my existence, yes I do…_

_Yes I do._

~#~

_11! _

_Sweet Jesus, this one goes to 11!_

_No, Edward, _Bella amended._ I think that we definitely hit 12 that time._

_The End_

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_**A/N: Thank you for staying with my second story. I appreciated all feedback. **

**After the original posting, I found a Beta, the lovely Irritable Grizzzly, who volunteered her Beta services. Only minor edits were made… no storyline changes. Thanks IG… awesome work once again!**

**Thank you again to selina972 for her help with the French translations.**

**Yes, the end for this one. No cursing me out! I like my stories in contained little packages with nice endings at good breaking points. ****However, if you liked this one, please go on to the third story in the series: Call of the Vampire. **

**Obviously, some loose ends from this story to tie up in that one... :) Be warned: the next story is a little bit angsty and is an emotional roller coaster. However, I have an end game in mind here and I'm working toward that... I hope that you'll stay with me. **

**And PLEASE leave a review!**

**Thanks, ALE**


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